GORHAM, Maine – Junior Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) had nine kills without an error, while sophomore Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) and freshman Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) had 14 kills apiece as Plymouth State University handled the University of Southern Maine, 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-14) in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball match at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
 
The Panthers controlled the pace for much of the opening set, then held off a late charge by USM to grab the early lead. PSU held a three-to-four point lead for most of the second set but the hosts rallied late to pull within one, 24-23, before Plymouth State closed out the set. Southern Maine led for the majority of the third set, but the Panthers clawed back to tie things at 22-apiece, only for USM to win three of the final four points to extend the match. Plymouth State's offense kicked into a higher gear in set four to cruise to the win.
 
PSU extends its record to 18-0 and moves to 6-0 in the LEC. Southern Maine drops to 8-12 and 1-4 in conference play.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 3, Southern Maine 1
  • Plymouth State (18-0, 6-0 LEC)
  • Southern Maine (8-12, 1-4 LEC)

How it Happened:

• Ryan and freshman Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) teamed up for a block and a USM error gave the Panthers an 18-13 lead in set one. The hosts rallied to pull within one, but Sanderson answered with a kill and Stogner's kill gave PSU a 25-20 win.
• Flanagan found the floor, then served an ace to help the Panthers to a 6-3 lead early in set two. Sophomore Elsa MacNeill (Acton, Mass.) and Ryan notched back-to-back kills for a 24-20 lead in set two, but the hosts wouldn't go down without a fight. USM pulled to within a point at 24-23, but a Huskies' error handed PSU a 25-23 win.
• Southern Maine used the late rally to build momentum into set three as the hosts used an early six-point run to take a 7-3 lead. The Huskies went up 22-18 to force a PSU timeout, but the Panthers rallied out of the break with four straight kills to tie the score. USM went ahead, 24-22, before Stogner's kill made it a one-point game, but the Huskies were able to hold on for the 25-23 victory.
• The teams traded points in the early going until the PSU offense caught fire, using four consecutive kills to break a 6-6 deadlock. The momentum was briefly paused after a service error, but PSU got the ball right back on Stogner's booming kill and the Panthers pushed the margin to 17-7 and the visitors cruised the rest of the way.

By the Numbers:

• Ryan added two aces and two blocks to her 14 kills. She hit .294 for the match.
• Flanagan went for nine kills on 17 swings without an error to hit a sparkling .529. She added a pair of solo blocks and two aces.
• Senior Alexa Price (Moultonborough, N.H.) posted 42 assists and nine digs to go with six kills, while junior Marissa Plaza (Folsom, Calif.) led all players with a match-high 17 digs.
• Plymouth State has never lost to the Huskies, improving to 28-0 all time. The 28 wins are the most against any opponent in program history.

 Up Next:

• Plymouth State celebrates its Senior Night on Friday (Oct. 15) with a 7:00 p.m. LEC clash with Castleton University with a chance to secure at least a share of the regular season title.