NEW LONDON, N.H. – Four different players finished with six kills and Plymouth State University hit .307 as a team as the Panthers swept Colby-Sawyer College, 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-19), in a non-conference women's volleyball match at Hogan Sports Center on Thursday night.
Sophomores
Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) and
Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) and juniors
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) and
Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) all totaled six kills and freshman
Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) posted 13 assists and three aces to lead the Panthers' offense.
PSU built a big lead early in set one to coast to the double-digit win, then used an 8-3 spurt late in set two to take a commanding 2-0 lead. The Panthers led 17-10 and 21-13 in the third set before Colby-Sawyer made a late run, but Plymouth State easily staved off the comeback bid to wrap up the match in straight sets.
Plymouth State heads into the final weekend of the regular season sporting a 19-5 mark, while the Chargers dip to 9-16.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Colby-Sawyer 0
- Plymouth State (19-5)
- Colby-Sawyer (9-16)
How it Happened:
- McDonough had an ace and Ryan notched a pair of kills as the Panthers scored the first six points of the opening set. Sanderson and Stogner had back-to-back kills to extend the advantage to 19-10 and moments later McNeeley's kill gave PSU a 25-15 win.
- Plymouth State maintained a slight edge through much of the second set until a four-point run highlighted by three Chargers' errors pushed the margin to 20-14. Senior Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) and McNeeley posted kills and sophomore Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) served an ace during a three-point spurt to set up set point, 24-17, but Colby-Sawyer didn't fold. The hosts served aggressively to trim the deficit to 24-21, but Ryan's kill ended the threat and gave PSU the 2-0 lead.
- PSU led by one, 10-9, in the third set before junior Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) sparked a run with a key solo block. Sanderson and King added kills during the spurt as the Panthers went ahead 17-10. Freshman Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.) had an ace during a late 3-0 spurt to extend the margin to 21-13 and shortly thereafter sophomore Morgan Drinkwater (Steep Falls, Maine) closed out the sweep with a kill.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State hit .307 as a team, including .406 in set one and .360 in the middle stanza.
- McNeeley hit an even .500 for the match and added two blocks to her stat line, while Ryan posted a .455 attack percentage.
- Sanderson hit .357, committing just one error in her two sets of action.
- Butler finished with 15 assists, four digs and an ace, while McDonough added 13 assists, four digs and three aces.
- Stogner was strong from the service line with a team-high four aces, while adding six digs.
- Marucci paced the defense with 10 digs.
- Plymouth State improves to 21-12 in head-to-head matchups with the Chargers. PSU has won each of the last six meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in this year's season opener.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State wraps up the regular season on Saturday (Oct. 29) with a non-conference trimatch at Gordon College. PSU faces regional power Endicott at noon, followed by the host Fighting Scots at 2:00 p.m.
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