Women's Volleyball Competes in Three Matches on Final Day of Merrimack Invitational

Women's Volleyball Competes in Three Matches on Final Day of Merrimack Invitational

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Links: Box Score (Neb. Kearney) | Box Score (Bentley) | Box Score (AIC) | Game Highlights (Neb. Kearney) | Game Highlights (Bentley) | Game Highlights (AIC)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team played three matches on the final day of the Merrimack Invitational, battling Nebraska-Kearney, Bentley and American International on Saturday. The Warriors played five matches in total this weekend, hosting their first ever tournament.

The Basics
 Score: #5 Neb.-Kearney 3, Merrimack 0 (25-14 | 25-8 | 25-8)
Score: Bentley 3, Merrimack 1 (18-25 | 25-14 | 25-23 | 25-18)
Score: AIC 3, Merrimack 0 (25-17 | 25-16 | 25-19)
Records: Merrimack (1-13) | #5 Neb. Kearney (13-0) | Bentley (2-9) | AIC (11-2)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.

How It Happened (Neb. Kearney)

  • 1st set – Freshman Catherine Flaherty (North Andover, Mass.) got the Warriors off to a strong start with a kill that gave Merrimack a 6-4 lead. The Lopers fought back to tie the match at seven-all, and proceeded to go on a 8-0 run to distance themselves from the Navy and Gold
  • 2nd set – Senior Madison Creighton (Carlisle, Mass.) started the middle frame as the Warriors setter. The Lopers played some of their best volleyball in the middle game, building a 16-point lead before winning the set by a 25-8 margin
  • 3rd set – The final set finished in the same fashion, with the nationally ranked Lopers securing their third victory of the tournament. Freshmen Sydney Buran (Cohoes, N.Y.), Kaylie Doherty (Westborough, Mass.) and Rosie Sperduto (Brentwood, Tenn.) all broke into the Warriors lineup

How It Happened (Bentley)

  • 1st set – Merrimack once again played a strong opening set. The Warriors won 15 of the first 20 points, using a balanced attack that featured six different players with kills, including a strike from Christina Nye (Plaistow, N.H.). Bentley pulled within five points late, but Flaherty recorded the final two points, winning the frame on a service ace
  • 2nd set – Bentley opened a 12-6 advantage, but the Warriors pulled within two after a 4-0 run that included another ace from Flaherty. The Falcons called a timeout and surged forward with a 10-0 run of their own to tie the match
  • 3rd set – With the game squared at 13-all, Bentley recorded five unanswered points to take an 18-13 win. With the score at 22-17, it was the Warriors turn to rip off five straight points that included a pair of aces from Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.). The visitors recovered to win three of the final four points and took a 2-1 lead
  • 4th set - Back-to-back kills from Cain and Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) brought the Warriors within one point at 12-11 in the fourth set. Three points later and the Falcons ahead by two, Bentley went on a 4-0 run to distance themselves further. The visitors picked up their first win of the tournament with a 25-18 clincher.

How It Happened (AIC)

  • 1st set – The Yellow Jackets used a 9-0 run to separate themselves from the Warriors early in the opener. Flaherty delivered a kill that brought the Warriors within seven, 20-13, but the visitors kept the Warriors at arm's length to win the frame
  • 2nd set – AIC led coast-to-coast in the middle set. With the score at 18-10, Merrimack cut the deficit in half with four straight points that ended with consecutive kills by McCall. The Yellow Jackets answered with four consecutive points to quiet the Merrimack run and go up by two sets
  • 3rd set – The third set was back-and-forth for the majority of the frame until AIC went on a 7-0 run to turn a 16-14 set into a 23-14 lead. The Warriors responded with five unanswered points to bring it to 23-19, but the Yellow Jackets collected themselves to win the final two points.

Inside The Numbers

  • McCall posted a strong attacking weekend, and finished Saturday with 25 kills after her 14-kill performance against East Stroudsburg on Friday
  • Senior setter Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished the day with 72 assists, and is averaging over eight helpers per set this season
  • With her performance on Saturday, Jennifer Cain took over the team lead for kills and now has 102 through 14 mathces
  • Nye and Stewart both split time at the libero position throughout the day, and are the team leaders in total digs on the season. Nye boasts 129 on the year while Stewart – one of two rookie starters – sits in second with 118

Up Next
 The Warriors have a week off before taking on Saint Michael's next Saturday in their Northeast-10 Conference opener at 1 p.m. up in Colchester, Vt.

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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.

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