Senior Delia Phillips went over 1000 career kills with seven in Stonehill's 3-0 loss to Adelphi today.

Senior outside hitter becomes sixth Skyhawk to record 1000 career kills

EASTON, Mass. (October 10, 2015) – Senior outside hitter Delia Phillips (St. James, New York/Smithtown East) eclipsed the 1000-kill mark for her career this afternoon, but Stonehill College fell to visiting Adelphi University 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-23) in Northeast-10 Conference volleyball action at Merkert Gymnasium.

Phillips, who entered today's contest with 996 kills through the first 101 matches of her career, recorded seven kills, five digs and two blocks in the defeat. She becomes the sixth member of Stonehill's 1000-kill club, joining former teammate Kirsten Arvidson '14, who accomplished the feat late in the 2013 campaign.

Sophomore outside hitter Marykay Nasby (Belle Plaine, Minnesota/Belle Plaine) led the Skyhawks with 11 kills today, hitting .364 with just three errors in 22 attempts.

Sophomore libero Claire Manuszak (Indianapolis, Indiana/Bishop Chatard) and senior outside hitter Kelsey Weymouth (North Attleboro, Massachusetts/North Attleboro) each recorded double-digit digs with 14 and ten, respectively, while junior setter Taylor Stevens (Foster, Rhode Island/Ponaganset) handed out 29 assists to go with seven digs.

Senior middle blocker Shelby Stoner (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage) paced the Adelphi attack, hitting .474 with 11 kills. Sophomore setter Megan Manierski (Macomb, Michigan/Dakota) recorded a match-high 32 assists, and junior libero Sierra Crook (Spokane, Washington/Mead) led all players with 22 digs.

Stonehill got off to a strong start in the first set, leading 8-4, but an 8-3 Adelphi run allowed the visitors to claim a one-point edge. The set would see ties of 13-13 and 18-18, before the Panthers capped the frame with a 7-0 run, led by three kills from Stoner.

Set two contained 12 more ties, including 18-18, but again it was Adelphi that pulled ahead late. A kill by junior outside hitter Mandy Stanislovaitis (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) gave the Panthers a 19-18 lead, and two straight Stonehill attack errors increased Adelphi's advantage to three. The Skyhawks would grind out three more points, but it was not enough as Adelphi held on for a 25-21 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Stonehill appeared to be on its way to forcing a fourth set, leading 18-14 in the third frame, but the Panthers pulled even with a 7-3 run. The teams were tied at 23 after trading the next four points, before an Adelphi kill followed by a Stonehill attack error ended the contest.

Stonehill (7-9, 2-4 NE-10) will look to get back on track on Tuesday night, when the Skyhawks are slated to take on Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. Adelphi (13-4, 4-0 NE-10), which has now won eight consecutive matches, returns home to host Pace University on Tuesday.     

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