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Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball program played three more down-to-the wire sets on Saturday afternoon, but the visiting Southern Connecticut State University Owls left Hammel Court with a 3-0 victory over the Warriors. Junior
Catherine Flaherty led Merrimack again with 10 kills and 10 digs, her third consecutive double-double
The Basics
Score: Southern Conn. 3,
Merrimack 0 (25-19 | 25-22 | 25-22)
Records: Merrimack (5-15, 3-5 NE10) | Southern Conn. (11-12, 4-4 NE10)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Hammel Court
Set Breakdown
- After the Warriors won the opener's first two points, Southern Connecticut won seven straight points to build a lead that they never relinquished. With the Owls ahead by six, the Warriors cut their deficit down to four, 19-15, after senior Katelynn Marr recorded a kill and the Owls committed an error. The team's traded points from there, however, leading to a 25-19 win for SCSU
- The Owls started the second set on a 6-0 spurt, but Merrimack chipped away by winning 13 of 23 points to close within a 16-13 margin following a kill by senior Sofia Basauri. A few points later, Merrimack used a 3-0 spurt to close within two, 20-18, that featured kills for Flaherty and freshman Kara Haase. With the score at 23-21 and Merrimack on another 3-0 stretch, Southern shut the door by winning two of the next three to move within a set of the match
- The Warriors held leads of 6-5, 10-9 and 15-4 in the third set, going toe-to-toe with their visitors. Another run of three straight points – this time for the Owls – turned the match in Southern's favor. From there, neither team won more than two straight points, but that back-and-forth style led to the Owls outlasting Merrimack, 25-22, to win the contest
Top Performers
- Flaherty boasts four double-doubles over her last five contests and a team-best six on the season. The North Andover, Mass. native has already set a career best with 175 total digs, and is on pace to set career highs in kills, kills per set and digs per set
- Junior Sydney Buran and freshman Megan Rumenapp split setting duties, with the former leading the way with 15. The latter led the Warriors with two aces
- Senior Amanda Cain led all players with 13 digs. Marr joined her in double figures with 11 while adding eight kills
Notes and Notables
- The Warriors totaled more blocks than their visitors (4-3), led by one solo and two assists for freshman Sophie Meyers
- Both squads hit well, with the Owls posting a .282 hitting percentage while the Warriors hit at a .204 clip
- Southern served well, collecting eight aces compared to just three for Merrimack
Up Next
Merrimack heads on the road on Friday night, facing the College of Saint Rose for the second time this season in Albany, N.Y. The NE10 contest will begin at 7 p.m. at Nolan Gymansium.
