Links: Box Score (Holy Family) |
Box Score (Jefferson)
NEWARK, Del. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team was within 10 points in five out of the six sets it competed in on Saturday but ultimately dropped a pair of 3-0 matches against Holy Family and Jefferson University in the final day of the Wildcat Invitational in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Basics
Score (Match 1): Holy Family 3,
Merrimack 0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-17)
Score (Match 2): Jefferson 3,
Merrimack 0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-15)
Records: Merrimack (2-6) | Holy Family (4-2) | Jefferson (4-5)
Location: WU Athletics Complex | Newark, Del.
Set Breakdown (Holy Family)
- Set 1: Merrimack had an early four-point lead before Holy Family used a 7-1 run to take a 10-8 lead. The set was then back-and-forth, with each team trading three-point runs late in the frame until Merrimack tied it at 20-20. After staving off set point twice to tie it at 24-24, Holy Family won the next two points to take the opening frame.
- Set 2: The start of the set saw neither team go ahead by more than two points after 12 rallies, but the Tigers won eight consecutive points to take a 14-6 lead that set the tone for the rest of the stanza. Merrimack got as close as four points, but Holy Family closed the set out on an 8-3 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Set 3 – Another back-and-forth set saw the Warriors take a 9-7 lead before the Tigers won four straight to take an 11-9 lead they would never relent. Merrimack fell behind by five (15-10) and was forced to play catch-up from there on out, as the two schools mostly traded points over the remainder of the set to close out the match.
Set Breakdown (Jefferson)
- Set 1: Jefferson won six of the first seven points on the way to an early lead before each team traded points until a 4-2 run by the Warriors got them to within three (10-7). The Rams, however, outscored Merrimack by a 15-3 margin over the rest of the set to take it by a 25-13 ledger.
- Set 2: Merrimack controlled the early portion of the second set and then countered a 4-2 run by the Rams with a 6-1 run of their own to take a 13-10 lead midway through the set. The Warriors still had a three-point lead (17-14) late in the frame, but Jefferson then used a 9-1 run to take control of the set. Merrimack battled back valiantly, staving off back-to-back set points before the Rams eventually won it at 25-22.
- Set 3: Jefferson powered itself out to a 10-3 lead early in the final set before Merrimack won six straight points to get to within one (10-9). The Rams, however, won 11 of the next 15 points to take a 21-13 advantage and then closed out the match seven points later.
Team Comparison (MC // HFU)
- Points: 33.0 // 49.0
- Kills: 23 // 39
- Aces: 3 // 7
- Blocks: 7 // 3
- Assists: 18 // 38
- Digs: 25 // 37
Team Leaders (MC // JEFF)
- Points: 30.0 // 59.0
- Kills: 27 // 46
- Aces: 3 // 7
- Blocks: 0 // 6
- Assists: 25 // 39
- Digs: 38 // 44
Notes and Notables
- Sophomore Catherine Flaherty (North Andover, Mass.) led Merrimack with five kills against Holy Family while senior Mary Kate McCarroll (Harrison, Ohio) posted two aces in the opening match.
- Junior Sofia Basauri (Beaverton, Ore.) posted six blocks while sophomore Rosie Sperduto (Brentwood, Tenn.) assisted on 16 points; finally, junior Amanda Cain (Melrose, Mass.) notched six digs in the Holy Family match.
- McCarroll and junior Katelynn Marr (Franklin, Mass.) led the way with six kills in the Jefferson match, while three different Warriors had one ace each.
- Sophomore Sydney Buran (Cohoes, N.Y.) posted 13 helpers against the Rams, while senior Christina Nye (Plaistow, N.H.) posted double-digit digs with 11.
Up Next
The Warriors play in their Northeast-10 Conference opener next Saturday when the Navy and Gold travel to Rindge, New Hampshire, to face Franklin Pierce University at 2 p.m.
