Junior outside hitter Delia Phillips posted team-highs in both kills (14) and digs (19) as Stonehill earned a 3-2 win at AIC in its NE-10 opener. |
Skyhawks extend winning streak to five with five-set victory
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 16, 2014) – The Stonehill College volleyball team earned a hard-fought, 3-2 (25-13, 20-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-12) victory at American International College this evening in a back and forth match that served as the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both teams at Butova Gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Junior outside hitters Delia Phillips (St. James, New York/Smithtown East) and Kelsey Weymouth (North Attleboro, Massachusetts/North Attleboro) led the way with strong all-around efforts, as Phillips posted team-highs in both kills (14) and digs (19) while Weymouth also registered a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs.
Senior setter Emily Iverson (Elmhurst, Illinois/York) led all players with 42 assists to go with six digs and three block assists, and sophomore Taylor Stevens (Foster, Rhode Island/Ponaganset) chipped in with seven digs and a match-high tying four service aces.
Freshman libero Claire Manuszak (Indianapolis, Indiana/Bishop Chatard), who was named the NE-10 Rookie of the Week earlier today for the second consecutive week, anchored the Stonehill defense with 18 digs while also adding four aces.
Junior Kelsey Weymouth recorded 13 digs, 12 kills, two assists, and two aces in tonight's victory at AIC. |
The Skyhawks cruised to a one set lead in tonight's match, never trailing in an opening frame they eventually won by 12 points. American International responded by taking the second set, 25-20, before Stonehill regained its lead with a 25-19 win in the third frame. The Skyhawks appeared poised to claim the fourth set and the match, as they led 18-15, but the Yellow Jackets would go on a 10-2 run to force a fifth and final stanza.
With the score tied at ten in the fifth set, consecutive kills by Phillips and freshman middle blocker Katherine DeLanty (Smithtown, New York/Smithtown West) gave the Skyhawks a two-point lead, but American International sophomore outside hitter Shirley Bazua (Boca Raton, Florida/Cardinal Gibbons) evened the score at 12 with consecutive kills of her own. Two more kills by Phillips brought Stonehill to within a point of victory, and an attack error by Bazua on the next play ended the match.
Bazua led the Yellow Jackets with 16 kills to go with 12 digs, while junior outside hitter Bailey Swan (Belvidere, Illinois/Rockford Lutheran) recorded 11 kills, 15 digs, and three blocks. Senior setter Nikki Naccarato (Wellington, Florida/Wellington) dished out 40 assists and also contributed defensively with 10 digs, and junior libero Franny Sanchez (Ossining, New York/Ossining) registered a match-high 20 digs.
Stonehill (7-1, 1-0 NE-10) will look to extend its five-match winning streak this weekend, as the Skyhawks hit the road for a pair of contests in New York. Stonehill will take on Dominican College Friday night at 7 p.m., before heading to LIU Post on Saturday for a 2 p.m. start. American International (2-7, 0-1 NE-10) will be back in action this weekend as well, as it is set to host four matches as part of the Yellow Jacket Invitational.
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