Volleyball Upset by Stonehill 3-2 in Conference Opener
NORTH ANDOVER, MA - The Merrimack volleyball team saw its
six-game winning streak come to an end, as Stonehill College upset
the Warriors 3-2 Wednesday night at the Volpe Gym.
Game scores were 17-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-20, and 15-11.
Merrimack led 2-1 through three games but failed to close out
the match in the fourth as the Skyhawks led the entire game en
route to a 25-20 fourth-game victory.
In the fifth, the Warriors led 8-3 after two kills from
Molly Cindric (Westlake Village, CA) and a block
from Jenna Reilly (Northport, NY), but the
Skyhawks stormed back, closing the match with a shocking 12-3 run
to pick up the upset victory. Merrimack gave Stonehill plenty of
help, committing seven attack errors in the final game.
"We lost to a really good Stonehill team who played a
well-prepared game," said head coach Joey Pacis. "It's back to the
drawing board in preparation for the weekend."
Cindric, last week's Northeast-10 Player of the Week, posted her
second straight and fourth double-double overall with 24 digs and
16 kills. Megan Murray (Rancho Santa Margarita,
CA) posted 15 kills and five blocks, while Reilly added
six kills in just three games. Alyssa Pickert (Tinley Park,
IL) tallied 25 digs to her league-leading total, while
Elyse Lorenz (Frankfort, IL) had her third
double-double of the year with 46 assists and 10 digs and also
picked up four blocks and five kills. Freshman Natalee
Yeazle (Blaine, MN) chipped in with 11 digs and five
kills.
Four Skyhawks were in double figures in kills, led by Michelle
Thornhill who had a game-high eighteen. Laura Huselton had a
double-double on 26 digs and 14 kills, while Erin Johnson (15
kills) and Laura Noonan (12 kills) also had a strong match
offensively. Andrea Wirth posted 58 assists and 15 digs.
Merrimack (10-3, 0-1 NE-10) battles Franklin Pierce on Friday at
7 p.m. for a non-conference match and Southern NH at 1 p.m.
Saturday for a conference battle.
