CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (September 2, 2023) - Stonehill volleyball closed out their weekend at the Harvard Invitational at the Malkin Athletic Complex with two non-conference matchups. In the first match, the Skyhawks dropped their match to Holy Cross in five sets, 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 23-25, 26-24, 14-16) before falling to New Hampshire, 3-0 (17-25, 18-25, 20-25).
Holy Cross 3, Stonehill 2
(25-19, 24-26, 23-25, 26-24, 14-16)
Sophomore Mia Berardino was a force on the offensive end to begin the doubleheader for the Skyhawks, totaling a season-high for any Stonehill player with 18 kills while also recording three digs and a service ace. Freshman Lauren MacKellar (11 kills) and senior Lauren McCloskey (eight kills) were also heavily involved on the offensive side of the ball. Freshman Georgia Murphy did a little bit of everything, tallying seven kills while leading the team with 15 digs. Sophomore Alayna Rooney notched 14 digs of her own while only playing four sets for the Skyhawks. Freshman Amaya Parnell set a season high for Stonehill with 27 assists and had 10 digs as well. Sophomore Delaney Mihelich was close behind Parnell with 21 assists and six digs.
SET 1| The Crusaders jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the early stages of the set. Stonehill responded with four straight points to build a 6-4 advantage. The Skyhawk's lead continued to rise, going up 11-6 after three straight kills from three different Stonehill attackers. Holy Cross managed to pull within three points (14-11) but that was the closest they'd get for the rest of the set, with the Skyhawks even going up by as much as seven (22-15) before closing out the set, 25-19.
SET 2 | Holy Cross once again got out to an early lead, going up 5-3 in the second set. Stonehill tied the set 5-5 before the Crusaders scored five consecutive points to take the lead 10-5). The Skyhawks countered with pour points of their own to pull within one (10-9). The Crusaders would continue to hold their lead (14-12) before Stonehill went on a 7-1 outburst to go ahead 21-18. Holy Cross tied it at 21 before the Skyhawks would get to set point (24-21) but Holy Cross closed out the set with the final five points for the 26-24 win.
SET 3 | The teams exchanged scores early in the third set leading to a 5-5 tie. Stonehill would lead in the middle stages of the set (14-12), but the Crusaders responded once again, tacking on four straight to regain the lead at 16-14. Stonehill countered with four consecutive points of their own to jump back ahead 18-16. Holy Cross would convert on five consecutive scores to lead 21-18. The Skyhawks would tie it up again on two separate occasions at (21-21, 23-23). Holy Cross notched the final two points of the set, winning 25-23 for a 2-1 match lead.
SET 4 | Holy Cross had a strong start to the fourth set, building a six-point lead (11-5) early in the set. Stonehill tallied the next three points, but the Crusaders continued to hold a steady lead, taking a six-point lead deep into the set (19-13). The Skyhawks went on a run, converting on seven of the next nine possessions to pull within one point (21-20). Two errors and another ace put the Crusaders on set point at 24-20. The Skyhawks rattled off the final six points to force a fifth and deciding set, their longest match of the season.
SET 5 | The Skyhawks' momentum didn't let up early in the final set as they catapulted out to a 6-1 advantage. Holy Cross knotted the score at 9-9 midway through the set, scoring the next point to take their first lead of the deciding round (10-9). Stonehill reached game point at 14-13 thanks to two kills from Berardino. The Crusaders finished off the match and the final set with three consecutive points, as a tightly contested game, came down to the final possessions.
New Hampshire 3, Stonehill 0
(17-25, 18-25, 20-25)
Berardino was a force on both sides of the ball for the Skyhawks as they ended their weekend in Cambridge. The Sophomore outside hitter led the team in both two categories, recording 12 kills and five digs. Freshman Sammy Franco had a strong showing against the Wildcats, notching five kills and three digs. Parnell recorded double-digit assists in her fifth match out of seven total, leading the team with 10 while tallying three digs.
SET 1 | The opening set of the Skyhawks' final match of the Harvard Invitational started off close, with the two teams tied 3-3 before the Wildcats scored three straight (6-3). New Hampshire never gave up the lead for the rest of the set, but the Skyhawks pulled within one point (11-10) after an 8-5 run spurred by kills from Murphy, Emma Graves, and MacKellar. From there, the Wildcats pulled away and ended the opening set with five of the last seven points, winning it 25-17.
SET 2 | New Hampshire and Stonehill were tied at 1-1 and 2-2, but the Wildcats never trailed in the second set as the Skyhawks kept the deficit to within two points (8-6) before UNH pulled away. Stonehill trimmed the New Hampshire lead to four (16-12) but that would be the closest they'd get to the Wildcats despite rattling off three straight points at the end of the set to make it 23-18 before New Hampshire would score the next two, winning the round 25-18.
SET 3 | Stonehill captured the lead early in the third set, leading 4-2 after the first six scores. New Hampshire scored the next three points before the two teams went back and forth for most of the set, eventually becoming knotted up at 14-14. The Wildcats scored seven of the next eight points (21-15), overcoming a 3-0 run by the Skyhawks that trimmed their deficit to just three (22-19) before New Hampshire would end the final set of the Harvard Invitational, winning it 25-20.
Up Next
Stonehill returns to action on the road for a non-conference matchup at Brown on Tuesday, September 5 at 7 p.m. The next game at Merkert Gymnasium is on Friday, September 22 at 5 p.m. when they begin conference play against the newest member of the Northeast Conference, Le Moyne.
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