Women's Volleyball Loses Twice on Final Day of USC Aiken Invitational

Women's Volleyball Loses Twice on Final Day of USC Aiken Invitational

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Links: Box Score (Montevallo) | Box Score (Belmont Abbey)

AIKEN, S.C. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team wrapped up play at the USC Aiken Invitational on Saturday afternoon by dropping a pair of three-set matches to the University of Montevallo and Belmont Abbey College.

The Basics
 Score: Montevallo 3, Merrimack 0 (25-23 | 25-13 | 26-20)
Score: Belmont Abbey 3, Merrimack 0 (25-23 | 25-16 | 26-24)
Records: Merrimack (1-7) | Montevallo (5-2) | Belmont Abbey (1-7)
Location: Aiken, S.C.

How It Happened (Montevallo)

  • 1st set – With the Warriors up 12-10, Merrimack went on a 4-1 run to extend its lead to five and forced Montevallo to call a timeout. The Warriors lead grew to six points, but the Falcons went on a 8-0 spurt to pull ahead, 21-19, and did not look back to win the set
  • 2nd set – The Falcons doubled up the Warriors at 14-7, putting the middle frame out of reach while hitting at a match-high. 257 during the set
  • 3rd set – Merrimack jumped out to a 15-10 advantage in the final set, powered by three kills from Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.). From there, the Falcons won seven of the next eight points and did not relinquish the lead, winning the set by a 25-20 margin

How It Happened (Belmont Abbey)

  • 1st set – With the Warriors up 14-13 following a point from Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.), Belmont Abbey proceed to go on a 5-1 run which prompted a Merrimack timeout. The Warriors fended off a pair of set points to come within one, 24-23, but the Crusaders won on their third set point
  • 2nd set – Belmont Abbey jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second. Kills from freshmen Catherine Flaherty (North Andover, Mass.) and Julia Stewart (Melville, N.Y.) brought Merrimack with two points, but the Crusaders pulled away to go up five, 12-7. Merrimack did not get closer than 12-10 over the rest of the set, with Abbey expanding its lead to as many as nine (25-16)
  • 3rd set – The story of the final set came during the last five points. A service error for the Crusaders put Merrimack within one point of sending the match to a fourth frame, but Belmont Abbey rallied to win the final five points, to win by a 26-24 final and take the match

Inside The Numbers

  • Senior setter Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished Saturday with 50 assists and 25 digs over the two matches. She finished in double figures in both statistics in three of the four contests at the Invitational, bringing her double-double season total  to five
  • Against Belmont Abbey, junior Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) set a new career high with 11 digs, and fell two kills short (8) of her first-ever double-double
  • Jennifer Cain totaled a team-high 18 kills over the two matches, posting a .200 attack percentage versus the Crusaders
  • Merrimack's best hitting performance came during the first set against Belmont Abbey, when the Warriors totaled 11 kills on 30 attacks with only two errors (.300)

Up Next
 The Navy and Gold return to action on Thursday night at 7 p.m. when they travel to Manchester, N.H. to play Saint Anselm in non-conference play.

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