Peragine paced the Skyhawks attack with 16 kills (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

EASTON, Mass. (November 3, 2021) - Stonehill College, freshly minted with a No. 1 ranking in the first NCAA Division II East Regional ranking of the fall, rolled to its fifth-straight win with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) triumph over Assumption University in Northeast-10 Conference volleyball action at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

The Details

• Stonehill, winners of 14 of its last 15 overall and 18 of 20 since an 0-4 start, learned earlier in the day that it had earned the No. 1 rank in the first NCAA Division II East Regional ranking of the year, marking a first in program history as the Skyhawks seek a third NCAA Tournament bid this fall.
• Junior Basia Peragine paced the Stonehill attack with 16 kills, just three errors, and a .394 hitting percentage, while senior Carly Russell led a strong defensive performance by the Skyhawks with 23 digs, adding five assists and a service ace.

• Russell tallied 23 digs, five assists and an ace tonight (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

  Senior Lauren Wilke delivered 26 assists with nine digs for Stonehill, while junior Molly Turner added 11 assists and three service aces.
• Senior Clare Feeman contributed six kills without an error on 14 total attacks (.429) and added five blocks (one solo).
• Stonehill used a 9-4 run to turn a one-point lead (13-12) into a six-point margin (22-16) after a kill by Peragine on its way to taking the set.
• Stonehill hit .312 as a team in the opening set with Wilke dishing out ten assists and adding five digs in the frame.
• Stonehill again used a run late in the set to take control, opening a six-point lead (19-13) after a block by Feeman and senior Shannon Burgess. Peragine added four more kills in the set, while Thomas served up all three of her aces for the match in the second set.
• Stonehill had to rally from five points down on four occasions in the middle portion of the third set, erasing a four-point deficit (21-17) late, to complete the sweep.
• Peragine doubled her kill output over the first two sets with eight kills in the third set alone.
• The Skyhawks scored four-straight points on Russell's serve to grab the lead (23-22) after an Assumption hitting error, clinching the win behind an Assumption service error and Feeman kill for match point.

Up Next

Stonehill (19-6, 9-1 NE10) continues its stretch run Friday night when it visits rival Bentley University, ranked No. 7 in the region, for an NE10 matchup at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday to host the University of New Haven, ranked No. 4 in the region, for Senior Day at Merkert Gym at 2 p.m. Assumption (7-9, 5-5 NE10) visits Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday at 3 p.m.

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