Women's Volleyball Ends Season with 3-1 Victory over Assumption Saturday
Links: Box Score
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team won the opening two sets before clinching the victory in the fourth frame as the Warriors defeated Assumption College on Saturday afternoon from Laska Gymnasium in their regular-season finale.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, Assumption 1 (25-19, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22)
Records: Merrimack (9-16, 4-10 NE-10) | Assumption (7-18, 3-11 NE-10)
Location: Laska Gymnasium | Worcester, Mass.
How It Happened
The Warriors took the opening set by a 25-19 margin, pulling away from the Greyhounds late in the opening frame. With the score tied at 10-10, the Warriors went on a 6-3 spurt to take a three-point lead that included kills from sophomore Christina Nye (Plaistow, N.H.) and junior Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.). Leading 23-18, Nye recorded the final two kills of the frame to give the Navy and Gold and early lead. The second-year player finished with five kills in the set.
The Warriors did not trail in the following set, despite the frame being tied on nine separate occasions. With the score squared at 11-all, Merrimack went on a 4-0 run spearheaded by kills from Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and McCall. Later in the set and facing a three-point deficit at 23-20, the Greyhounds rattled off three unanswered points to square the set.
Freshman Katelynn Marr (Franklin, Mass.) record a kill to end the Assumption run, and the Warriors won the second frame, 26-24, to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The timely kill for Marr marked her third of the match.
Assumption avoided the sweep by pulling away in the third set. Facing an early 8-2 disadvantage, the Warriors notched a 7-0 run to take a 9-8 lead. Senior Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) collected two kills and two service aces during that stretch. The Greyhounds responded with a 7-0 spurt of their own to make it 15-9, spurning the hosts to a 25-19 win.
The fourth set belonged to the Warriors, as the visitors prevented the Greyhounds from extending the match. Both teams traded points back-and-forth until the frame was tied at 14-all and Merrimack embarked on a 5-1 run. McCall, Marr and sophomore Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) all had kills during the run. Another kill from Marr gave the Warriors a match point, and a service error by the Greyhounds handed the Navy and Gold the victory.
Inside The Numbers
- McCall led the Warriors attack in the final match of her junior season. She finished with 15 kills and a .217 hitting percentage, attempting 46 attacks on the afternoon
- Nye ended her breakout sophomore campaign on a high note. She finished with 21 digs, the second time this season that she has totaled at least 20 and the 11th time reaching double figures, and eight kills
- Burke led the team in the dig department in the final match of her career, collecting 25 through four sets. Stuhr notched 41 assist from the setter position to go along with 15 digs for her 10th double-double of the season
- Marr saved her best for last, recording a career-high eight kills in the final game of her rookie season
- As a team, the Navy and Gold combined for eight blocks, one of their best performances in season in the blocking the department. Four players had two block assists each for the Warriors
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