Skyhawks play in second semifinal match in three years

EASTON, Massachusetts (November 19, 2019) – The Stonehill College volleyball team, seeded third in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, won in three-straight sets over Le Moyne College, the sixth-ranked team, Tuesday night in Merkert Gymnasium in Quarterfinal play. The Skyhawks defeated the Dolphins with set scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 30-28.

By The Numbers:

• Stonehill (17-9, 9-4 NE10) saw junior Sophia Poveda led the team with her 20^th-career double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, while sophomore Abby Remick led the match with 13 kills.
• Sophomore Clare Feeman dominated at the net with five blocks and registered five aces. Senior Rachel Dunlavy  and sophomore Carly Russell chipped in 10 digs each.  
• Le Moyne College (14-13, 7-6 NE10) saw Jacquelyne Ghindia with a team high 10 kills, as Lexi Petraitis and Madeleine Kennedy each recorded three blocks each.
• Emily Yacone notched nine digs and Lexi Arena tallied eight digs in the battle.  

How it Happened:

• Remick led the match with 13 kills (PHOTO BY: Andrew Katsampes)

  The Dolphins got ahead early in the first set, 4-2, but following four-straight points from the Skyhawks, Stonehill took over the lead and secured a first game win, 25-18. The frame included Stonehill's largest lead of eight, 19-11, and before the Dolphins tried to fight back, the Skyhawks scored four-straight points including two aces from Feeman.
• The second set saw an early seven-point advantage, 8-1, for the Skyhawks, as they rolled with the lead and only allowed the Dolphins their longest rally of four points, 14-20. At 18-7, Stonehill's 11 point lead was the largest of the match and Stonehill was victorious with a 25-15 win.
• The two teams tied the score 14 times and Stonehill tried to pull away as they went on an 8-1 run, 22-17, but Le Moyne responded with their own 7-1 run to get up by one, 24-23. The teams then traded points until the Skyhawks could tie the match one last time, 28-28 and score back-to-back points for a 30-28 victory.

Outside the Lines:

• This is the Skyhawks' second appearance in three years in the semifinal round of the NE10 Tournament, with the last time in 2017 when Stonehill fell 3-2 to the University of New Haven.
• Stonehill is still ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II East Regional Poll.

Up Next:

Stonehill will compete in a NE10 semifinal matchup on Friday, November 22 hosted by the highest remaining seed in Bentley University. The Skyhawks will take on American International College (13-16, 10-3 NE10), who is the second seed at the Dana Center in Waltham, Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. 

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