Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team hosted their third match over its last four against St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday afternoon. The Warriors came out hot in the first set and looked to protect their home court, but ultimately fell short in three sets.
The Basics:
Score: SFBK 3,
Merrimack 0 (27-25 | 25-19 | 25-16)
Records: Merrimack (1-12, 0-6 NEC) | SFBK (8-11, 2-3 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Set Breakdown:
- Merrimack came out ready to play and the Warriors took an early 7-4 lead, capped off by a kill from senior Catherine Flaherty. The Warriors maintained momentum for much of the first set and held a six-point lead at 14-8 with a kill from sophomore Natasha Vallis. Saint Francis responded with a 9-3 run of their own, tying the set at 17. After back-and-forth play for the rest of the set, Vallis spiked home a big kill knotting the set up at 24. Ultimately, the Terriers would take the first set 27-25.
- The second set started with each teams trading points, when a kill from freshman Taylor Sawyer brought the Warriors to within one point at 6-5. This was the beginning of a 4-0 run, and the Warriors held an 8-6 lead. After more back-and-forth play, Saint Francis had a 4-0 run of their own, giving them a 14-11 and head coach Jeff Costa called a timeout to regroup. Merrimack would keep it close, but the Terriers would pull away and take the second set 25-19.
- In what proved to be the final set of the match, the Warriors showed resiliency taking an early 4-3 lead on big block by sophomore Brooke Leestma. Merrimack hung around, and brought the score to just a one point deficit at 12-11. The Terriers responded with a 4-0 run and finished out strong with a 25-16 victory.
Top Performers:
- Vallis lead the Warriors with 11 kills.
- Senior Rosie Sperduto led the team in assists with 19. She also paced the Warriors in digs, totaling 11 on the afternoon.
- Four Warriors split the lead for blocks on the night with 1.
Up Next:
The Warriors look to regroup against Robert Morris this upcoming Thursday, October 17th. The Warriors will play at home on Hammel Court in North Andover, Mass. at 6 p.m.
