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Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball program played its first Division I match and first Northeast Conference (NEC) match on campus on Tuesday evening, hosting old Division II rival Bryant University for a league match at Hammel Court. The match between the Warriors and the Bulldogs was the first between the two programs since 2007.
The visiting Bulldogs claimed a 3-0 win, improving to 3-0 in league play while Merrimack dropped to 0-3. Senior
Catherine Flaherty enjoyed a strong performance offensively to lead Merrimack, hitting a team-best .368 on the night. Flaherty totaled eight kills on 19 attacks with just one error
The Basics
Score: Bryant 3,
Merrimack 0 (25-10 | 25-15 | 25-13)
Records: Merrimack (1-9, 0-3 NEC) | Bryant (8-11, 3-0 NEC)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Hammel court.
Set Breakdown:
- Flaherty recorded Merrimack's first Division I kill at Hammel Court, firing an attack to the court that ended a Bryant 4-0 run to start the match. With the score at 8-4, the Bulldogs won eight straight points to take a 12-point lead. Merrimack fought back, going on a 5-0 run that included kills for freshman Maegan Hladick and Emily Adams. The Bulldogs recovered, turning a 16-9 set into a 25-10 win by ending the frame on a 9-1 stretch
- Sophomore Brooke Leestma hit the kill that began a 4-0 run for Merrimack, putting the hosts ahead by one, 8-7, in the second set. Consecutive kills from Hladick brought the set even at 12-all, but a 10-1 run for Bryant enabled to Bulldogs to control the middle frame. Merrimack got two points back, but the Bulldogs prevailed, 25-15, to go ahead, 2-0
- Down 9-4 in the third, Flaherty and sophomore Sophie Meyers hit consecutive kills to cut the Warriors' deficit to three. Later in the set, Leestma and classmate Natasha Vallis notched one kill each to keep Merrimack within five, while Leestma and freshman Lily Blodgett combined for a block to make it a 16-11 frame. Bryant, however, won five straight points from there and eight of the final 10 to claim a 25-13 win
Top Performers
- Flaherty posted her second highest hitting percentage of the season on Tuesday (in matches with at least 10 attacks). On the year overall, the senior has 74 kills on 225 attacks for a .208 hitting percentage
- Setters Rosie Sperduto and Megan Rumenapp combined for 18 assists on the day
- Freshman Taelyr Czech led the way with nine digs. Senior Sydney Buran registered a season-high six digs, as well
Up Next:
Merrimack celebrates Homecoming Weekend on Friday, hosting Central Connecticut State University for a 3 p.m. match at Hammel Court.
