PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) stuffed the stat sheet with eight kills, seven aces and five blocks as Plymouth State University marched past Vermont State University Castleton, 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-15), in a Little East Conference women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The visiting Spartans put up an early fight in the first set, building an 8-5 lead until Ryan and senior
Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) combined for a huge block. Ryan carried the momentum to the service line, where she ripped off four aces as part of a 10-0 run to erase any thoughts of an upset. PSU stayed comfortably in front the rest of the way for a 25-16 win.
Sophomore
Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.) did damage of her own from the service area, notching back-to-back aces as the Panthers raced out to a 7-1 lead in set two and never looked back, cruising to a 25-13 victory, and another Butler run turned a five-point lead into a ten-point advantage in the third set as PSU completed the sweep with a 25-15 win.
Plymouth State improves to 15-2 overall while staying perfect in the LEC (5-0), while VTSU Castleton slides to 5-9 and 0-4 in the Little East.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, VTSU Castleton 0
- Plymouth State (15-2, 5-0 LEC)
- VTSU Castleton (5-9, 0-4 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The upset-minded Spartans got out to a solid start, building an early 8-5 lead. Ryan and McNeeley teamed up for a thunderous block to jumpstart the PSU offense, and Ryan went to work at the service line racking up three aces during a seven-point run to force a VTSU Castleton timeout. Ryan connected with another ace out of the break as the lead ballooned to 15-8 and Plymouth State remained comfortably ahead the rest of the way for a 25-16 win.
- PSU exerted its dominance from the start of set two as senior Aynlsee King (Anacortes, Wash.) smashed a kill on the opening serve. Butler rifled a pair of aces to help the lead grow to 7-1 and following a kill from sophomore Rachel Gripp (Stratford, Conn.), junior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) registered two aces during a 4-0 spurt to extend the margin to 18-9. McNeeley and freshman Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) slammed down a pair of late kills to help secure the 25-13 victory.
- Set three was knotted at five when Ryan found the floor and followed with another run at the service line to give Plymouth State a lead it would not relinquish. The Spartans pulled to within 12-11, but a missed serve ended the comeback bid and Marucci and Butler followed with long service runs to build a 23-13 lead before McNeeley pounded the game-winner for a 25-15 decision.
By the Numbers:
- Ryan finished with eight kills and hit .462, while chipping in seven aces and five blocks.
- McNeeley added eight kills of her own to go with a .429 attack percentage, six digs and a pair of blocks.
- Junior Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) pounded seven kills and chipped in nine digs, while Hampton (four kills) and King (three kills) combined for seven kills on 12 attempts without an error.
- Plymouth State served 14 aces, with Butler registering three to go with her match-high 20 assists.
- Sophomore Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) added two aces and ten assists, while Marucci led the backrow with ten digs and a pair of aces.
- PSU hit .250 as a team while holding the Spartans to just .011.
- Plymouth State improves to a perfect 6-0 against the Spartans. The Panthers have swept all six matches.
Up Next:
- The Panthers host Keene State in a rematch of last season's LEC Tournament championship match on Wednesday (Oct. 18) with first serve slated for 6:00 p.m.
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