PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Freshman Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) pounded a match-high 15 kills against just one error and Plymouth State University overcame a slow start to explode past Keene State College, 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19) in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball game at Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
 
The Panthers committed an uncharacteristic seven attack errors in the opener as Keene State looked to spoil PSU's perfect record with a 25-21 win in set one, but Plymouth State rebounded with a hard fought 25-23 victory in set two to even the match. Set three was all PSU as the Panthers held a ten-point advantage for most of the set, and Plymouth State wrapped up its 12th straight win with another strong showing in set four.
 
Stogner finished one kill shy of her career high while hitting a crisp .350 on the outside to help PSU remain unbeaten.
 
At 12-0 (3-0 LEC), the Panthers are off to the third-best start in program history. Keene State drops to 10-5 and 1-1 in conference action.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 3, Keene State 1
  • Plymouth State (12-0, 3-0 LEC)
  • Keene State (10-5, 1-1 LEC)

How it Happened:

• Keene State got out to an 11-5 lead in the opening set to force a PSU timeout, but sophomore Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) slammed down a kill out of the break and the Panthers rallied to pull within two, 13-11. Stogner's kill tied the set at 19-19, but the Owls used a 6-2 spurt to steal a 25-21 win.
• Set two was tight from start to finish with 14 ties and five lead changes. Junior Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) and Stogner teamed up for a block and freshman Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) followed with an ace to give PSU a 14-13 lead. Moments later a Flanagan kill and back-to-back KSC errors helped push the advantage to 17-14, but the Owls came back to tie things at 18-18. The teams would alternate points to 23-23 before Flanagan's kill and an ace from junior Marissa Plaza (Folsom, Calif.) gave Plymouth State a 25-23 win.
• Freshman Imalay Rodriguez Martinez (Juncos, Puerto Rico) served four-straight points as PSU built a 9-6 lead in set three. A Stogner kill and Ryan ace forced Keene into a timeout, but the Panthers came out of the break with a 6-1 spurt forcing the visitors into a second timeout. With no way to slow the momentum, the hosts cruised the rest of the way and Stogner's kill wrapped up a 25-15 win.
• The Panthers controlled set four throughout as Stogner caught fire for four straight kills and an 18-8 advantage. Keene tried to rally late, but the final result was never in doubt as Ryan capped the match with an emphatic block.

By the Numbers:

• Stogner added three blocks to her 15-kill effort and didn't commit an attack error in sets two through four.
• Ryan added 13 kills and two blocks, while freshman Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) chipped in with nine kills. Flanagan contributed seven kills and five blocks.
• Senior Alexa Price (Moultonborough, N.H.), who was honored before the game for reaching the 2,000-career assist milestone last week, posted an impressive double-double of 40 assists and 14 digs.
• Plaza led the defense with 17 digs and added three of the team's nine aces.
• The 12-match stretch is now the third longest unbeaten streak to start a season. The 2009 squad won its first 16 contests.

 
Up Next:

• PSU looks to keep things rolling during a Saturday (Oct. 2) trimatch. The Panthers celebrate Homecoming weekend with an LEC match against Rhode Island College at noon. Prior to first serve, alumnae Becky (Landry) Campo '04 and Kelly Landry '06 will be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame. The day concludes with a celebration of 25 Years of Panthers' Volleyball heading into a 4:00 p.m. clash with the University of Maine-Presque Isle.