Volleyball Evens Season-Series with Stonehill with 3-1 Victory

10/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

EASTON, MA. - Behind a season-high 25 kills from Molly Cindric (Westlake Village, CA), the Merrimack volleyball team exacted revenge on Stonehill College, defeating the Skyhawks 3-1 in a non-conference match Tuesday night.

Game scores were 25-13, 25-12, 22-25, 27-25.

Cindric, who committed just five attack errors and hit .308 overall, tallied her 11^th double-double of the season, picking up 19 digs and also had four service aces.

"It was a good win against a team that previously beaten us," said head coach Joey Pacis. "It was really good to see us fight back in game four to prevent going to a fifth game when they would have all the momentum. It was a true test of our mettle, and a good quality win, and hopefully we can keep it up."

The Warriors came out flying, not committing an attack error in the first set, while tallying 17 kills and hitting .515 overall, to defeat the hosts 25-13. They continued their success in the second with a 25-12 victory, led by six kills from Shaunda Forcier (Gonic, NH).

Merrimack dropped a back-and-forth third set, as four kills from Megan Murray (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) weren't enough, with Stonehill scoring the final five points of the set to take it 25-22 to force a fourth set.

But the Warriors, who lost a five-set battle with the Skyhawks in the conference opener, sealed this match in four, overcoming a 22-18 deficit to win the fourth 27-25 and the match three games to one. Cindric totaled five kills in Merrimack's final nine points, including kills to even the match at 24 and 25 before sealing the victory with a kill on match point. Elyse Lorenz (Frankfurt, IL), who picked up her sixth double-double in the win, recorded an ace with the set tied at 24 and then set Cindric up for the match-ending kill.

Lorenz totaled 50 assists and 15 digs, matching her season-high. Murray and Forcier finished with 11 kills each, as the Warriors hit .228 overall, registering 61 kills to just 20 attack errors. Alyssa Pickert (Tinley Park, IL) added 24 digs and two aces, while Natalee Yeazle (Blaine, MN) had eight kills, five digs, and two blocks.

The Skyhawks were led by Erin Johnson, who had a team-best 15 kills and hit .361 overall. Laura Huselton recorded a match-high 29 digs and chipped in with seven kills as Stonehill, ranked fifth in the east region, fell to 14-8 (8-3 NE-10) on the season.

Merrimack (19-9, 6-5 NE-10) visits Pace Friday at 7 p.m. and Adelphi Saturday at 1 p.m. for conference matches, needing victories to remain in the playoff picture.