CASTLETON, Vt. – Plymouth State University hit .378 and amassed 38 kills on the way to a 3-0 (25-11, 26-24, 25-15) win over Castleton University in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball match at Glenbrook Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
Sophomore
Natalie Gravelle (Portsmouth, N.H.) and freshman
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) each smashed nine kills and hit .500 for the match. Plymouth State pounded 13 kills against without an error to power to a first set win, then rallied from a 24-23 deficit to steal the second set, before slamming 15 kills to wrap up the sweep.
With the win, Plymouth State improves to 2-0 (2-0 LEC), while Castleton falls to 0-2 (0-2 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Castleton 0
- Plymouth State (2-0, 2-0 LEC)
- Castleton (0-2, 0-2 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- PSU led just 9-7 in the opening set before junior Hannah Chartier (Weare, N.H.) served five straight points. Castleton pulled to within 15-9, but freshman Elsa MacNeill's (Acton, Mass.) kill sparked a 10-2 run and Ryan's ace wrapped up a 25-11 win for the Panthers.
- Plymouth State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in set two thanks to a pair of aces from junior Alexa Price (Moultonborough, N.H.). PSU still led, 10-5, but Castleton started to chip away. The Spartans pulled ahead, 19-17, but back-to-back errors helped Plymouth State go back in front, 21-19. The teams went back-and-forth and Gravelle's booming kill gave PSU a 23-22 advantage. A missed serve and error gave Castleton set point, 24-23, but Ryan's kill tied things at 24 and moments later Ryan and freshman Ryley McNeeley (South Easton, Mass.) teamed up for a block to escape with a 26-24 win.
- Things stayed tight through the beginning of set three. With the score tied at 9-9, Price's kill sparked a four-point run to lead to a Castleton timeout. The break didn't slow PSU's momentum, however, as McNeeley and Ryan added another block and MacNeill's two kills pushed the lead to 17-9. PSU maintained control the rest of the way and Gravelle's kill closed out the 25-15 victory.
By the Numbers:
- After limiting Rhode Island College to a -.009 attack percentage in the opener, PSU held the Spartans to a .030 clip.
- PSU pounded double-digit kills in each set, including 15 in set three. The Panthers hit .565 in set one, an even .500 in set three and an impressive .378 for the match.
- The Panthers served up 14 aces including five from Price and three apiece from Chartier and junior Katie Townsend (Layton, Utah).
- Ryan, Gravelle and junior Hannah Douglas (Rochester, N.H.) tied for the team lead with five digs each, while Ryan and McNeeley each had four blocks.
- The Panthers improve to 3-0 all-time against Castleton. Aside from tonight's second set, PSU has won every set by a minimum of ten points.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Keene State for an intrastate LEC clash on April 17 at 1:00 p.m.
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