LOUDONVILLE, N.Y.– The Merrimack College women's volleyball team advances to the second round of the MAAC tournament after a nail biting fifth set victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles. The Warriors had massive double-doubles from
Sophia DeBonis and
Mckenna Shotwell to edge out the conference foe.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack: 3, Niagara: 2
Records: Merrimack (9-20, 8-10), Niagara (15-15, 11-8)
How It Happened
The Warriors opened the first set poised to conquer, extending an early 3 point lead on the Purple Eagles. Niagara responded with three straight points to tie the score at 8. The rivals to the west notched three more points to take a brief two point advantage however, the Warriors remained persistent, tallying three consecutive points to reclaim the lead. Niagara ignited a 4-1 run which put the Warriors down by two.
Mckenna Shotwell hammered a kill to commence a thrilling 6-1 set to extend their largest lead of the set. Niagara remained competitive with the score tied at 22, then 24, and again at 25. Merrimack was able to register the final two points after a kill from
Hannah Webber and a Purple Eagles attack error.
Niagara caught the early advantage in the second set, however the Warriors adjusted quickly with a dominant 6-1 run featuring kills from
Julz Carlat, and Shotwell, and a service ace from
Lilly Konrad. Merrimack commanded the court for majority of the set as Libero
Lauryn Mattiucci notched one kill and
Lilly Konrad paced all Warriors serving during a huge 5-1 run. Shotwell and Carlat delivered the final kills to win the second set 25-16.
The Purple Eagles opened the third set swinging, looking to pick up their first win of the night. The New York natives doubled their lead over the Warriors with Kinga Wronska as the driving force. Merrimack showed strong defensive efforts to make it a two score game. Unfortunately, the Purple Eagles had other plans, racking another five points to pull away and ultimately win the set 25-19. The fourth set began as a continuation of the third, with Niagara controlling the net. Down 7-2, the Warriors continued to battle however, couldn't regain momentum and dropped the fourth set by a score of 25-20.
The Warriors opened the fifth and final set of the match with two kills and a service ace to gain a two point edge. They held this advantage through five rallies, however the Purple Eagles jumped back to tie the score at 10. Both teams would trade points for the next few scores until a
Lauryn Mattiucci kill compiled with Purple Eagles offensive error led to a Warrior win, 15-12
Stats and Facts
Up Next
The Warriors remain in Loudonville NY to take on Rider University for the second round of the MAAC Volleyball Championships. Game time is set for 7 PM.
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