Women's Volleyball Spends Halloween Weekend in New York at Pace, Adelphi
Links: Live Stats (Pace | Adelphi) | Video (Pace)
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team heads to New York State this weekend with a pair of the Northeast-10 Conference matches, beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. against Pace University. The Warriors then head to Long Island, where the Navy and Gold take on NE-10 leading Adelphi on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Basics
Date(Time): 10/30 (7 p.m.) | 10/31 (1 p.m.)
Records: Merrimack (8-11, 3-5 NE-10) | Pace (10-16, 2-5 NE-10) | Adelphi (18-4, 9-0 NE-10)
Location: Pleasantville, N.Y. (Pace) | Garden , N.Y. (Adelphi)
Last Time Out:
Merrimack lost a five-set decision to American International last Friday at Hammel Court. The Warriors won two of the first three sets of the night before the Yellow Jackets fought back to win the final two frames.
Junior outside hitter Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) lead the team with 18 kills and totaled 14 digs for her eighth double-double of the season and third in as many games. Sophomore Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) and junior Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) joined their captain in double figures with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Senior libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) registered a team-high 31 digs while junior setter Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) totaled 45 assists to lead the Warriors. Burke is now fourth in the NE-10 with 5.51 digs per set and is one pace to set a new career high in that department. Stuhr ranks atop the conference rankings with 10.16 helpers per frame, a tick ahead of her setting counterpart from Adelphi Megan Manierski, who she'll face on Saturday.
Offensively, Cain remains in third in the conference with an average of 3.45 kills per set. She already has a new career high in total kills and her 2.80 mark in digs per set would also be a new career high.
Last Season vs. Pace/Adelphi:
The Warriors also played the Setters and Panthers in back-to-back matches last season, with the Navy and Gold winning on both occasions at Hammel Court.
Merrimack swept Pace as every player on the roster took the court against the Setters. Cain and McCall combined for 14 kills, while Burke was the lone Warrior in double figures with 14 digs.
The match against Adelphi on Senior Day was one of Merrimack's most thrilling of the season. Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Navy and Gold fought back to take the final two frames and win the five-setter. Stuhr totaled a double-double with 52 assists and 12 digs, while Burke notched 19 digs to lead Merrimack's defensive efforts.
The Setters:
- Pace enters Friday's match with a three-game losing streak and losses in five of its last six matches. The lone win in that stretch came in four sets over the College of Saint Rose
- Three players on the Setters average at least two kills per set. Sydney Lecker leads the team with 204 total kills. Mia Wallace's 7.21 assists per set ranks as the best on the Setters
- Rebecca Italiano, the reigning ECAC Libero of the Week, averages 6.02 digs per set which is the best for Pace and the best in the NE-10. Kathleen Benson leads the Setters in the blocking department with nearly a block per frame
The Panthers:
- Adelphi enters Saturday with a 9-0 conference match and a 13-match winning streak. The Panthers only have lost once within the region, and during their current run have swept opponents on four occasions
- Manierski has been one of the top all-around players in the conference this season. She has been named NE-10 Setter of the Week four times in eight weeks, leading Adelphi in assists and service aces while ranking second in digs
- Mandy Stanislovaitis paces the Panthers with 3.27 kills per frame. Shelby Stoner is second in that department, using an impressive .325 hitting percentage. Libero Sierra Crook leads the team with nearly 500 total digs in 88 sets
Up Next
Merrimack wraps up its three-game road swing on Tuesday when the Warriors travel to Manchester, N.H. to face Saint Anselm at 7 p.m. The Warriors defeated the Hawks in non-conference play, 3-0, earlier this season.
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