Links: Box Score (Felician) |
Box Score (Stonehill)
EASTON, Mass. – After dropping the first set of its first match at Sunday's Skyhawk Invitational Finale, the Merrimack College women's volleyball team stormed back to claim a 3-1 match victory over Felician to secure its second victory of the season. The Warriors fell in straight sets to host Stonehill in the tournament finale later in the day.
The Basics
Score (Felician): Merrimack 3, Felician 1 (22-25 |
25-18 |
25-21 |
25-23)
Score (Stonehill): Stonehill 3,
Merrimack 0 (14-25 | 13-25 | 15-25)
Records: Merrimack (2-3) | Felician (0-2) | Stonehill (4-2)
Location: Merkert Gymnasium | Easton, Mass.
Set Breakdown (Felician)
- Felician opened the match with a 6-0 run, building a lead that they never relinquished. The Warriors used a 9-3 spurt to pull within one, 23-22, but the Golden Falcons won the final two points to take the set.
- The second set was highlighted by a 7-0 run for Merrimack that turned a 9-5 lead into a 16-5 stranglehold. The Warriors saw four different Warriors record points, capped by a service ace from senior Katelynn Marr. Felician pulled within four late the frame, but Merrimack outlasted its foes to even the match, 25-18.
- With Merrimack leading throughout the start of the fourth set, Felician scored four unanswered points to snatch a 14-13 lead. That marked the first of five lead changes the rest of the set, which saw the Golden Falcons own a 21-20 advantage with only a few points remaining. Sophomore Rosie Sperduto spurned the Warriors to a set-closing 5-0 run, recording one kill and dishing out three assists.
- With the set tied at five-all, neither team led by more than one point in the fourth until four straight Merrimack points gave the Warriors a 17-13 lead. Felician roared back to go ahead, 20-18, and lied two points from forcing a fifth set until Merrimack won the match's final four points to prevail, 25-23.
Set Breakdown (Stonehill)
- The teams found themselves deadlocked at 3-3 early in the opening frame after a put-away by Marr brought the Warriors even. Stonehill would take seven of the next eight points to open up a 10-4 edge, but Merrimack ripped off four straight later in the set to get to within three (13-10). The Skyhawks took eight of the next 10 points to go up 21-12, and closed out the set seven points later at 25-14.
- Merrimack had an early 3-1 lead in the second stanza, but 10 straight points for the hosts prompted a Merrimack timeout. Trailing by eight, the Warriors won 3-of-4 to make it 12-6, but the two sides went back and forth over the remainder of the set before Stonehill ultimately won it by a 25-13 margin.
- Stonehill used another strong start to grab an early lead in the final frame, building a 4-0 lead that eventually grew to 12-7. Eight straight points saw the hosts take a comfortable 20-8 lead, but thte Warriors would not go quietly, taking five straight points and seven of eight to cut the deficit to 21-14. After that valiant effort, Stonehill would secure the sweep by winning four of the next five points.
Top Performers
- Three Warriors shared the team lead for digs (16) against the Golden Falcons: senior Amanda Cain, junior Catherine Flaherty and Sperduto
- Sperduto set a career high in the digs department, while adding her second double-double of the year with a match-high 37 assists
- Merrimack hit .166 as a team including a .233 clip in the final set (15 kills on 30 attacks)
- Flaherty (7) and senior Sofia Basauri (6) were 1-2 in the kills leader board in the second match against Stonehill, while Flaherty and Basauri also recorded three rejections at the net to pace the way Warriors.
- Sperduto helped set up 14 kills, while Cain notched 11 digs in the tournament finale.
Notes and Notables
- Merrimack's victory over Felician came in the first-ever meeting between the regional opponents.
- Basauri's 13 kills marked the most for the senior since October of 2016, when she totaled 14 against Southern New Hampshire.
- Merrimack held leads in total kills (52), aces (10), assists (43) and digs (64) in the victory over Felician.
- The Warriors posted 20 kills as a team in the second match compared to 49 for the hosts; Stonehill held edges in blocks (6-4), aces (9-3), assists (46-18) and digs (35-25).
Up Next
The Warriors compete in the Wildcat Invitational next weekend, facing Wilmington University, Holy Family, Chestnut Hill and Jefferson University in four matches on Friday and Saturday.
