Flanagan tops 1,000 career digs in Senior Day win 

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior Alisha Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) picked up 11 digs, including the 1,000th dig of her career, to help Plymouth State University to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-4, 25-10) win over Castleton University in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon.

            PSU added a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-19) win over MCLA in the day's final match, with the Trailblazers picking up a 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-23) win in the middle match.

            Prior to its first match, Plymouth State honored its five seniors; manager Tucker McIlwrath, Flanagan, Lex Bowers (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Allie Rogers (Sandown, N.H.) and Shannon Howland (Delmar, N.Y.).

            With the two wins, Plymouth State improves to 29-2 (6-1 LEC) and matches the second-most wins in program history. The Panthers are assured of at least a share of the LEC regular season title and will have three cracks at becoming just the second team to reach the 30-win plateau next week. Castleton drops to 7-17 (0-7 LEC), while MCLA ends the day at 17-9.

            The Basics:

            Plymouth State 3, Castleton 0

            Plymouth State 3, MCLA 0

            Plymouth State (29-2, 6-1 LEC)

            Castleton (7-17, 0-7 LEC)
            MCLA (17-9)

            How it Happened (Castleton):

• Plymouth State was never challenged in the win over the Spartans. PSU jumped out to a 9-1 lead, then pushed the cushion to 16-3 before rolling to a first set 25-10 win.
• The Panthers scored the first eight points of set two and sophomore Katie Townsend (Layton, Utah) ran off the final seven points in a convincing 25-4 win in set two.
• Flanagan served nine straight points as PSU took a 12-3 lead in the third set, before coasting to the 25-10 victory.

            Inside the Numbers (Castleton):

• Plymouth State hit a season-high .493 and committed a season-low three attack errors in the win.
• Freshman Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) posted a match-high 11 kills (.600 pct.), while sophomores Alexa Price (Moultonborough, N.H.) and Maria Wimpey (Concord, N.H.) combined for 30 assists. Price added three aces.
• Plymouth State has never conceded more than 15 points in a set to the Spartans.
• The conference win assures PSU of at least a share of the regular season title, the fourth in history (2004, 2005, 2011).

            How it Happened (MCLA):

• PSU controlled the first set early on, but the Trailblazers cut the margin to one four times in the middle of the set (17-16). That was as close as they would get, however, as the Panthers used a late run to earn a 25-19 win.
• Plymouth State held a narrow 15-12 lead in set two until back-to-back kills by junior Francie Shaffer (Frederick, Colo.) and three straight aces from Price put the game out of reach. PSU would go on to record a 25-13 win.
• Price served the Panthers to a 6-0 lead in set three and the hosts would never look back. A kill from sophomore Jaia Woodland (Charlottesville, Va.) made it 22-12, but the Trailblazers fought back to cut the margin to four (22-18), before a service error gave PSU the ball back. The Panthers would go on to complete the sweep with a 25-19 win.

            Inside the Numbers (MCLA):

• Alisha Flanagan notched 22 digs and sister Emilee tallied eight kills and seven blocks as the PSU defense limited the Trailblazers to an .060 attack percentage.
• Shaffer paced the offense with 14 kills (.423 pct.), while Price controlled the offense with 32 assists.
• Plymouth State out blocked MCLA by a 10-3 margin.

            Straight From the Coach's Mouth:

            "We've totally over exceeded our expectations," said head coach Joan Forge. "We really are just playing match by match and having fun, but it's just absolutely insane to be 29-2."

            Up Next:

• PSU heads on the road for three matches next week, starting with a non-conference tilt at Middlebury College on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
• MCLA hosts SUNY-Cobleskill on Tuesday (Oct. 29) at 6:00 p.m.
• Castleton closes out its season next Saturday (Nov. 2) with an LEC contest against UMass Dartmouth.

PSU seniors with their families and head coach Joan Forge

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