Sophomore Ashley Hitchcock led Stonehill to a 3-0 sweep of AIC tonight, hitting .343 with 13 kills, 14 digs and five blocks. |
Sophomore Ashley Hitchcock hits .343 with 13 kills, 14 digs and five blocks
EASTON, Mass. (September 15, 2015) – The Stonehill College volleyball team opened its Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 28-26) sweep of American International College this evening at Merkert Gymnasium.
Stonehill, which posted its second consecutive three-set victory and fourth overall this season, won the first two frames tonight by a combined 14 points before holding off a late American International comeback in the decisive third set.
Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Hitchcock (Warrenville, Illinois/Benet Academy) led the way for the Skyhawks, hitting .343 with 13 kills and just one error in 35 attempts, while also adding 14 digs and five total blocks (one solo). Classmate Katherine DeLanty (Smithtown, New York/Smithtown West) also turned in a strong overall performance, hitting .429 with 11 kills, two digs and five blocks (one solo).
Junior setter Taylor Stevens (Foster, Rhode Island/Ponaganset) registered a season-high 34 assists, her third 30+ assist effort this fall, to go with seven digs and four block assists, and sophomore libero Claire Manuszak (Indianapolis, Indiana/Bishop Chatard) paced the defense with a match-best 21 digs.
Junior outside hitter Natalija Dordevic (Belgrade, Serbia/Pravno-Poslovna Skola) finished with a match-high 14 digs for the Yellow Jackets, while senior outside hitter Bailey Swan (Belvidere, Illinois/Rockford Lutheran) posted a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs, and sophomore setter Amanda Encinas (Whittier, California/Saint Paul) dished out 26 assists.
DeLanty |
Stonehilll maintained a slim lead through the middle of the first set, before extending its edge to four (19-15) on consecutive kills by freshman Megan Pennino (Wantagh, New York/Wantagh) and Hitchcock. The Skyhawks pulled away at the end of the set, leading by as many as eight (24-16) before posting a five-point victory.
American International won the first point of the second frame but never led again, as Stonehill reeled off four straight points and eventually opened up a 12-6 advantage midway through the set. The Skyhawks continued to roll, claiming a nine-point triumph for a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set remained tight throughout, with Stonehill pulling ahead late (24-21) and American International rallying to tie the score with three straight points. The two teams traded the next four points, before Hitchcock prevented a fourth set with a kill followed by a match-clinching solo block.
Stonehill (5-3, 1-0 NE-10) continues its season-high six-match homestand on Friday against Queens College, while American International (4-4, 0-1 NE-10) returns home to host the International Hall of Fame Invitational in Springfield over the weekend.
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