Women's Volleyball Wins League Opener in Comeback Fashion, 3-2, at Saint Michael's Saturday

Women's Volleyball Wins League Opener in Comeback Fashion, 3-2, at Saint Michael's Saturday

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COLCHESTER, Vt. – Behind career efforts for student-athletes across the roster, the Merrimack College women's volleyball team erased a 2-0 hole before winning in come-from-behind fashion, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Saint Michael's to open Northeast-10 Conference play with a victory. The Warriors forced a fifth set, and won the finale in a thrilling manner, fending off multiple match points before prevailing by a 19-17 margin. 

The Basics
 Score: Merrimack 3, Saint Michael's 2 (22-25 | 26-28 | 25-22 | 25-20 | 19-17)
Records: Merrimack (2-13, 1-0 NE-10) | Saint Michael's (2-3, 0-1 NE-10)
Location: Ross Sports Center| Colchester, Vt.

How It Happened

  • 1st set – The Purple Knights got off to a strong start, collecting a 10-3 lead through 13 points. With the hosts' lead at 22-16, the Warriors went on a 6-1 run to pull within two points. Four different Warriors netted kills and freshman Julia Stewart (Melville, N.Y.) struck a service ace. Saint Michael's halted Merrimack's rally at 24-22, winning the frame on its fourth set point
  • 2nd set – Trailing by one at 8-7, freshman Catherine Flaherty (North Andover, Mass.) tied the frame with a kill. From there the Warriors controlled the action, pulling ahead by three, 21-18, late in the set. The hosts answered with four unanswered points to take a one-point lead, and despite Merrimack forcing four set points, Saint Michael's won by a 28-26 margin
  • 3rd set – Four kills from Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) during a 6-0 Warriors run paved the wave for a Merrimack set victory. That spurt gave the Navy and Gold a 13-7 lead and they did not relinquish the advantage from there. The Purple Knights moved within a point late, but a kill from Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) followed by a setting error gave the Warriors the game, 25-22
  • 4th set – Outside of the first point, the Warriors led coast-to-coast in the fourth game. Five unanswered point gave the Warriors a 5-1 advantage capped off by an ace from senior Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Later on, consecutive errors from the Purple Knights made it 16-12 Warriors. Senior Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) forced the fifth set after Saint Michael's had stifled the previous two set points, 25-20
  • 5th set – Merrimack jumped out to a 7-3 lead and held an 8-4 advantage at the midway point of the final frame. The Purple Knights roared back to take a 13-12 lead, but the Warriors resiliency won out in the end. The Warriors held off multiple match points before tying things at 17-all. Consecutive kills from Flaherty and Cain clinched the match, 19-17, in thrilling fashion

Inside The Numbers

  • The Warriors won their first five-setter of the season after prevailing in two five-set contest last season. The only other match that went the distance this year for Merrimack came last week against East Stroudsburg
  • Among of myriad of season and career highs set on Saturday, Stuhr's accomplishments stood out. The senior setter broke her previous career high with 65 assists and set a season high with 16 digs, totaling her eighth double-double of the season
  • Flaherty's 18 kills and 41 total attacks shattered her previous season and career highs, playing in her 15th career match
  • For the third time this year, McCarroll (15) finished with at least 10 kills in a match. Her hitting percentage of .333 fell percentage points off her season's best, while her five block assists ranked as a season high
  • A 19-kill, 21-dig effort from Cain broke her previous season highs as well. The senior captain fell two kills and three digs shy of her personal bests
  • Overall, Merrimack finished the day with 72 total kills, the most for the program since September of 2014 when the Navy and Gold netted 74 against Holy Family
  • Saturday's victory marked the first time since 2012 against Assumption that the Warriors prevailed after losing the first two sets

Up Next
 The Navy and Gold continue conference play on Tuesday night when the Warriors head to Bentley for a 7 p.m. match. The Falcons defeated Merrimack, 3-1, last week at the Merrimack Invitational.

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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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