Links: Box Score
LORETTO, Pa. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball program played its second-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) match on Saturday evening, battling Saint Francis University at Degol Arena in Loretto, Pa. After playing two close sets that ended in the hosts' favor, Merrimack won the third set, 25-21, to extend Saturday's match to a fourth frame. The set victory gave the Warriors their first set triumph in their NEC history.
With the defeat, Merrimack moved to 1-8 (0-2 NEC) on the season while Saint Francis U. improved to 1-12 (1-0 NEC).
The Basics
Score: Saint Francis 3,
Merrimack 1 (
25-19 | 25-18 | 21-25 |
25-13)
Records: Merrimack (1-8, 0-2 NEC) | Robert Morris (1-12, 1-0 NEC)
Location: Loretto, Pa. | Degol Arena
Set Breakdown:
- Saint Francis opened the first set with a 10-4 run, but sophomore Kara Haase led a 4-0 run with three straight aces to close Merrimack's deficit to two. Merrimack played within three or the majority of the set the rest of the way, including closing within 22-19, but the Red Flash rattled off three straight points to open a 1-0 lead
- Facing early deficits of 13-5 and 16-8 in the second set, Merrimack proved resilient. Down 17-10, the Warriors collected five straight points to trim its deficit to two (17-15). Haase notched a service ace, freshman Emily Adams and senior Rosie Sperduto recorded kills while sophomore Brooke Leestma registered a block solo. With the score at 18-16, Saint Francis used a 5-0 run that paved its way to a second-set win, moving within a frame of the match
- The Warriors forced a fourth set by playing their best in the third. Down 6-4, a 5-0 run swung the frame in Merrimack's favor. Consecutive block assist for the duo of Leestma and Adams ended the stretch. Later in the set, Merrimack won five of six points to open a 17-13 lead; the final two points of that stretch saw sophomore Sophie Meyers notch a kill and freshman Taelyr Czech land an ace. The team's traded points from there, until senior captain Catherine Flaherty win a kill that gave Merrimack a set point at 24-20. After Saint Francis won the following point, Haase connected on the set-clinching kill, 25-21
- An 11-0 run in favor of Saint Francis that broke a 3-3 deadlock gave momentum back to the Red Flash. Trailing 22-7, Merrimack did not relent; the Warriors won six straight points to trim their deficit to single digits, 22-13. Freshman Maeghan Hladick and sophomore Natasha Vallis combined for five of the six points during that run. The Red Flash regained control, however, claiming three straight points to end the match
Top Performers
- Sperduto notched her first double-double of the season, posting a season-high 15 digs to go along with a team-best 17 assists
- Haase and Flaherty totaled a team-high 10 points; both players finished with six kills and four aces. Haase set a new career high for aces while Flaherty tied her career best.
- Merrimack equaled Saint Francis with five total blocks; the sophomore trio of Leestma, Meyers and Vallis all posted one block solo each
Up Next:
Merrimack plays its first two home matches of the season next week, beginning with Bryant on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Hammel Court. Tuesday's contest also marks the program's first-ever NEC contest on campus.
