Box Score Balanced attack leads Panthers to fourth-straight win
NEWTON, Mass. – Seniors Mikki Taffe (Sandown, N.H.) and Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) and junior Claire Sporer (Medford, Ore.) combined for 20 kills to lead Plymouth State University to a 3-0 victory over Lasell College in non-conference women's volleyball action Tuesday night. The Panthers have now won seven-of-nine matches to improve to 7-5 on the year, while the Lasers fall to 3-6.
THE BASICS
Athletic Center, Newton, Mass. – Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016
Plymouth State 3, Lasell 0 25-19, 25-11, 25-21
Records:
Plymouth State 7-5; Lasell 3-6
PSU LEADERS
* Taffe … seven kills, three blocks
* Sporer … seven kills, six digs, three blocks
* Wyland … six kills
* Sophomore Alisha Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) … three kills, seven digs
* Junior Brenna Peruch (Cave Creek, Ariz.) … six digs
* Junior Megan Bailey (Canterbury, N.H.) … 22 assists
* Senior Rachel Morrissey (Salem, N.H.) … three aces, three digs
* Senior Hannah Hyatt (Andover, Conn.) … two aces
GAME NOTES
The Panthers held a slight 6-5 advantage in the opening set, until a kill by Sporer sparked a 10-1 PSU run. Sporer added two more kills and a pair of blocks in the run. With PSU leading 23-14, the Lasers ran off four straight points to force a Plymouth timeout. Out of the break, Flanagan had a kill and moments later a kill from Taffe wrapped up the set for PSU, 25-19.
Plymouth State led 2-1 in the second set, when a Laser missed serve put Sporer at the service line for the Panthers. The junior served eight straight points to open up an 11-1 lead and the hosts never challenged. An ace from Hyatt pushed the lead to 17-5. Freshman Alexis Bowers (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) added a pair of kills, then served a set-winning ace to give the Panthers a 25-11 win and 2-0 lead.
Lasell didn't back down in the third set, and the hosts held a 9-6 advantage in the early going. Plymouth responded with two quick points, including a block from Bowers and Taffe, but the Lasers responded with a 9-3 run to make it 18-11. Hyatt served the Panthers back to within a point (17-18), and moments later a Taffe kill knotted the score at 20-20. An ace from Morrissey put PSU in front 21-20, and a Sporer kill pushed the advantage to two (22-20). A Lasell sideout cut the lead to 22-21, but kills by Bailey and Taffe, and an error by the Lasers, gave PSU the 25-21 win.
The Panther attack hit .247 for the match (31-12-77), while adding nine aces and four blocks. The PSU defense limited the Lasers to an .039 attack percentage (22-19-77).
NEXT MATCH
Plymouth State @ Western Connecticut State, Danbury, Conn. – Saturday, Sept. 24 (12:00 p.m.)
Lasell @ sorcester State, Worcester, Mass. – Thursday, Sept. 22 (7:00 p.m.)
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