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| Emma Graves finishes with nine kills as Skyhawks earn first win of the season (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
EASTON, Mass. (September 22, 2023) - The Stonehill College women's volleyball team opened Northeast Conference action with a win at Merkert Gymnasium Friday night as they took down Le Moyne College 3-1, (25-12, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19) for their first win of the 2023 season.
Stonehill (1-14, 1-0 NEC): 3
Le Moyne (0-10, 0-1 NEC): 1
(25-12, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19)
Skyhawk Summary
Stonehill junior Emma Graves (Berkshire, N.Y./Newark Valley) led the team with nine kills, had three block assists, two digs and a 30.4% attack rate. Freshman Georgia Murphy (Plano, Texas/John Paul II) had a 38.9% hit rate, tallying eight kills while also adding a season-high 18 digs. Senior Kristen DeLorenzo (Fayetteville, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) tallied 12 digs for the Skyhawks with four assists and one service ace. Sophomore Delaney Mihelich (Fullerton, Calif./Rosary Academy) assisted on a match-high 19 while recording six digs and two kills. Freshman Lauren MacKellar (Northville, Mich./Northville) and senior Lauren McCloskey (Salem, N.H./Salem) each recorded eight kills for Stonehill while the senior led the team, notching five block assists as MacKellar was close behind with four block assists of her own. Sophomore Mia Berardino (Rowley, Mass./Triton Regional) recorded seven kills resulting in her second-highest hit percentage of the year, 33.3% while tallying seven digs and a service ace.
How it Happened
SET 1 | Stonehill led the entire duration of the opening set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead in the early stages of the match with two kills from Murphy propelling them. The Skyhawks would be leading 11-7 when they scored five consecutive points and nine of 11 to build a 20-9 advantage with two kills apiece from MacKellar and McCloskey. Stonehill would close out the set, 25-12, and take a 1-0 lead against the Dolphins.
SET 2 | The second set was as back-and-forth as it gets, leading to a 10-10 score and the two NEC foes being tied nine different times in that span. Le Moyne scored the next two points after that and held onto a small lead before taking a four-point lead (18-14). The Skyhawks responded with the next three points before the Dolphins answered with three straight scores of their own (21-17). Despite it being neck-and-neck down the stretch, Le Moyne won the second set 25-23 to tie the match 1-1.
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| Georgia Murphy notches career-high 18 digs Friday night in NEC Opener at Merkert Gym (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
SET 3 | The Dolphins scored the opening point of the third set before an 8-3 run from Stonehill gave them a four-point lead (8-4). They doubled their lead after kills from six different Skyhawks, putting them up eight points (22-14). Stonehill won the third set and took a 2-1 lead in the match on three errors from the Dolphins (25-16).
SET 4 | A roaring start to the fourth set put the Skyhawks up 8-1 with four different players contributing kills in that span. Le Moyne didn't let up as they stormed back into the match, scoring five straight to bring themselves within two points of Stonehill (9-7). Le Moyne would cut their deficit to one point (10-9) as the Skyhawks scored the next three points to go up 13-9. The Dolphins stayed in the match, being down two points as Stonehill reached the 20-point mark (20-18). Five of the next six points went to the Skyhawks as they won the set with a 25-19 victory to close out Le Moyne in four sets.
Up Next
Stonehill Volleyball is back in action tomorrow night at 5 p.m. when they take on Saint Francis (Pa.) as they continue Northeast Conference play at Merkert Gymnasium.
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