Women's Volleyball Drops Pair of Matches vs. Saint Leo, Central Oklahoma Saturday
Links: Box Score (Saint Leo) | Box Score (Central Oklahoma)
LAKELAND, FLA. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team wrapped up play at the FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic with two matches on Saturday afternoon against Saint Leo and Central Oklahoma, both of which were receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Poll. The Warriors lost in both matches, but senior libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) moved into second place on the program's career digs list with her third dig against Saint Leo.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 0 | Saint Leo 3
Score: Merrimack 0 | Central Oklahoma 3
Records: Merrimack (1-4) | Saint Leo (5-2) | Central Oklahoma (7-1)
Location: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
How It Happened
Merrimack fell in straight sets for the third time in the tournament, 25-14, 25-16 and 25-18, against the Lions. It did not take Burke long to move into second place on the all-time digs list as she recorded her third dig of the match in the opening set, which was the 1.531st of her career, passing Courtney Derosiers.
Saint Leo scored 10 of the first 13 points and 15 of the first 19, pulling away from the Navy and Gold in the opening set. In the second frame, senior Katie Cronin (Methuen, Mass.) totaled two kills over the first 14 points and the Warriors took advantage of errors by the Lions to lead 8-6 early on. The Lions were able to fight back to win the second set and held off the Warriors in the final frame for the three-set win. A kill from sophomore Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) brought the Warriors within five points, 20-15, but the comeback halted there.
Junior captain Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led the Warriors with her second double-double of the season, totaling 17 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Sofia Basauri (Beaverton, Ore.) and junior Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) led the team with five kills apiece.
In the opening set against the Bronchos of Central Oklahoma, a kill from senior Hannah Pavlik (Monument, Colo.) and an attack error from the Bronchos made it an 8-7 set, but Central Oklahoma went on a 5-0 run to make it a six-point lead. Junior Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) record a kill to stop the spurt, but the Bronchos took the frame, 25-13.
Central Oklahoma opened up a 10-3 lead in the second set and never looked back, winning by an identical score of 25-13. In the final frame, the Warriors responded to a 5-0 deficit by cutting the margin to three points a 10-7 thanks to a 4-0 run that included two service aces from Pavlik and a kill from Cain. With the set at 11-9 in favor of the Bronchos, Central Oklahoma went on a 9-0 run to put Merrimack away. The final frame went in the books with a 25-12 score.
Inside The Numbers
- Burke finished the day with 14 combined digs and now has 1,542 digs for her career. She needs 458 digs over the remainder of the season to become just the second player in program history to reach 2,000 career digs. She has an outside chance to set the program record for career digs, currently owned by Alyssa Pickert (2,128)
- Cain posted a season-high seven kills against Central Oklahoma after making her season debut against No. 11 Florida Southern on Friday
- Stuhr posted 35 combined assists to lead Merrimack from the setter position. Stuhr and McCarroll combined for two blocks over the day, to tie for the team lead
- McCall continues her strong start to the season with five kills against the Bronchos and a .188 hitting percentage. Cain's .308 attack percentage led all Warriors in the final match of the day
Up Next
Merrimack returns to the region to begin a week of four matches away from home on Tuesday night at Southern New Hampshire at 7 p.m.
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