Women's Volleyball Stumbles at New Haven, 3-0
Links: Box Score
WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with the defending regional champions in the University of New Haven, but the Warriors were unable to come away with a win as Merrimack fell, 3-0, at the Chargers Gymnasium Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference match.
The Basics
Score: New Haven 3, Merrimack 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-18)
Records: Merrimack (6-9, 1-3 NE-10) | New Haven (10-9, 2-2 NE-10)
Location: Chargers Gymnasium | West Haven, Conn.
How It Happened
The Chargers led from start to finish in the opening set to take an early 1-0 lead. Merrimack was within striking distance at 11-8, but New Haven responded by going on a 11-1 run to build a 22-9 advantage. Three straight attacking errors from the hosts made it a 10-point set at 24-14, but a service error by the Navy and Gold gave the Chargers the set win.
Consecutive service aces from junior Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) paced the Warriors to a 6-2 lead to begin the second set. With the frame squared at 12-all, the Navy and Gold went on a 3-0 run to take a 15-12 lead. Later on, Cain registered a kill to make it 20-18 in favor of the visitors, but the Chargers answered with a prolonged run to end the set. New Haven ended the middle set on a 7-1 spurt to go up 2-0 in the match, 25-21.
The final set also began with a Merrimack lead, as consecutive kills from Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) and Christina Nye (Plaistow, N.H.) made it a 4-1 set. Another kill from McCall made it 6-3 Merrimack, but the Chargers answered with a 5-0 spurt to surge ahead.
New Haven went on another extended run, this time a 10-4 advantage, to pull away at 18-11. Kills from Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) and Nye cut the deficit to four points, but four straight tallies from the Chargers eliminated any further comeback from the Warriors.
The Chargers' win improved their mark in conference play to 2-2, while the Warriors lost for the third time in four matches to begin their NE-10 slate.
Inside The Numbers
- McCall finished with a team-high nine kills on 24 total attacks. Cain and McCarroll tied with seven kills apiece, while the latter's .333 hitting percentage led the Warriors
- Junior setter Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) totaled a match-high 23 assists. Stuhr also led the Warriors with nine digs, falling one shy of a double-double. Senior libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) finished with eight digs, snapping a streak of nine straight contests with at least 10 digs
- An efficient Chargers attack made it difficult for the Warriors, as New Haven only committed 12 errors on the afternoon for a .327 hitting percentage
Up Next
The Warriors begin a two-match week on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when Merrimack hosts Stonehill at Hammel Court at 7 p.m.
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