Hughes led the Skyhawks with 13 kills
EASTON, Mass. (September 19, 2017) – The Stonehill College volleyball team fought hard in its Northeast-10 Conference opener in five sets, 3-2, to American International College, Tuesday night at Merkert Gymnasium. The Skyhawks fell to the Yellow Jackets with set scores of 25-17, 17-25, 11-25, 25-18, 9-15.
Stonehill's (3-7, 0-1 NE10) Allyson Hughes (Modesto, California/Big Valley Christian) tallied her third match of the season with double-digit kills, recording a team-high 13 kills. Katherine DeLanty (Smithtown, New York/Smithtown West) was the other Skyhawk to tally double digit kills, notching 10 in the match and registering six blocks. Claire Manuszak (Indianapolis, Indiana/Bishop Chatard) totaled 16 digs in the contest, for her fifth-straight match with double-digit digs.
The Skyhawks came out attacking in the first game, as Stonehill led with a 5-1 advantage and only let the Yellow Jackets come within one, 5-4. With 15 kills and a .464 hitting percentage, Stonehill was able to take the first game with its biggest lead of the match, a 10-point difference, 25-15.
Stonehill came within one in the second set seven times and knotted the frame seven times, before the Yellow Jackets ran with a 9-2 rally to take the second game, 25-17.
After a block by Marykay Nasby (Belle Plaine, Minnesota/Belle Plaine) and DeLanty in the third set, 5-3, Stonehill was able to carry the momentum, 10-7, before American International could score 18 points, getting only interrupted once by the Skyhawks taking a 2-1 lead in the match, 25-11.
American International was only able to take the lead in the fourth set once, 4-3, as Stonehill tallied two blocks to take a four-point lead, 8-4. The Yellow Jackets responded to the Skyhawks' pressure, but Stonehill's .355 hitting clip out-matched American International's .222 hitting percentage, tying the match at two games a piece with a 25-18 fourth-set win.
Stonehill was unable to take carry the momentum from the fourth set into the deciding frame as American International kept the lead for the entire game. The Skyhawks came within two, 8-10, but the Yellow Jackets ran with a 5-1 rally to take its first NE10 contest with a 15-9 fifth set.
Stonehill continues battling NE10 Conference foes, as it travels to North Andover, Massachusetts for a match against Merrimack College on Friday, September 22 with a 4:00 p.m. start time.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
