Volleyball Tripped Up By Pace, 3-1

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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack volleyball team went ahead by a set, but visiting Pace University came from behind to earn a gutsy second-set victory and went on to down the Warriors, 3-1, in a Northeast-10 Conference showdown on Friday night at Hammel Court.

Falling for the sixth consecutive match, the Warriors sink to 7-13 on the season with an 0-7 mark in league play. The Setters, meanwhile, saw their record improve to 10-14 overall with a 4-3 NE-10 record.

Merrimack picked up a win in the first set (25-20) before the visitors stormed back to take the second set by a score of 30-28. Pace cruised to a 25-12 win in the third set before wrapping up the match with a 25-22 set victory in the final frame.

"Losing the second set was definitely tough," head coach TJ Hajjar said afterward. "I think we lost a little fire after that, we were discouraged, and Pace managed to capitalize on that the rest of the way.

After maintaining at least a five-point cushion en route to a first-set victory, the Warriors went up by five midway through the second set before Pace mounted a comeback. Both teams would exchange points with the frame even at 20-20 before the Setters reeled off three straight points to put the Warriors on the brink. Eventually, Pace would win the second set on an attack error to tie the contest at 1-1.

Following a dominant first set by the Warriors indicative of their match-best .208 attack percentage, the home side compiled a match-high nine errors in the second set while only mustering a .085 attack percentage.

Pace dominated the third set indicative of its 15 kills to just one error – good for a .560 attack percentage. The Warriors had their chances in the final frame but could not overcome a five-point deficit midway through the set before eventually losing by three.

Both senior Jenna Reilly (Northport, N.Y.) and sophomore Stephanie Sheehan (Smithtown, N.Y.) compiled a team-high 11 kills, while senior Brianna Trabucco (Canton, Mass.) posted a team-best .625 attacking percentage to compliment her team-high 33 helpers. Rookie libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) notched a side-high 21 digs to lead the Warriors from the defensive end.

The Setters, meanwhile, were led by double-double efforts from Nora Rugova and Megan Kurz. The former finished with 14 kills and a team-best 18 digs, while the latter earned a side-high 17 kills and 12 digs.

Next up, Merrimack continues conference play with a home tilt against Adelphi tomorrow, Oct. 20. First set from Hammel Court is set for 6 p.m.

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For continuing coverage of Merrimack athletics, check back online at www.merrimackathletics.com, and follow the Warriors on Twitter @MC_Athletics.

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