PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) smashed 17 kills while the Plymouth State University right side tandem of senior
Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) and junior
Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) combined for 22 kills and just one error to lead second-seeded Plymouth State University past third-seeded Western Connecticut State University, 3-1 (25-11, 25-20, 27-29, 25-11), in the semifinal round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament at Foley Gymnasium on Thursday night.
Plymouth State improves to 23-4 and returns to the finals for the second straight year and eighth time in program history. The Panthers square off against top-seeded UMass Dartmouth, which beat fourth-seeded UMass Boston in the evening's other semifinal match, for the title at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 11) at the Tripp Athletic Center. WestConn ends the season with a 20-8 record.
PSU used a 15-4 run to seize control of the opening set, then erased an early seven-point deficit before scoring the final six points of set two to take a commanding 2-0 lead. The Panthers looked poised for the sweep as a Ryan kill gave PSU match point, 24-20, but WestConn battled back to extend the match with a 29-27 win. Plymouth State raced out to a 6-1 lead in set four, before junior
Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) served ten straight points as the Panthers closed out the win with a decisive fourth-set victory.
Plymouth State will be playing for its second conference tournament title (2004) and the LEC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, while UMass Dartmouth is in search of its first conference crown.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, WestConn 1
- Plymouth State (23-4)
- WestConn (20-8)
How it Happened:
- Both teams had some early jitters before Sanderson smashed back-to-back kills as PSU took a narrow 12-8 lead. Sophomore Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.) had an ace and the Panthers slammed four kills during a 7-0 spurt as Plymouth State extended the lead to 21-10 and a Wolves' error capped the 25-12 win.
- WestConn came out strong in set two for a 9-2 advantage. Ryan answered with a kill and PSU started chipping away. Freshman Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) pounded consecutive kills to tie the score at 19-19, but WestConn answered back. Senior Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) found the floor to tie things at 20-20, before Hampton served out the final five points.
- Plymouth State maintained a slight advantage through much of the third set, with McNeeley's kill giving the hosts a 17-14 edge. Ryan notched a pair of kills to push the margin to 24-20, but WestConn fought off four match points to extend the set. Ryan and Hampton staved off a pair of Wolves' set points with kills, but WestConn was able to snag back-to-back points to take the 29-27 win.
- Three straight WestConn errors opened the fourth set and Sanderson and Ryan teamed up for a thunderous block. McNeeley pounded back-to-back kills to force a timeout with PSU holding a 9-3 lead. Stogner continued her strong serving out of the break as the Panthers continued to add to the lead with Ryan's kill making it 17-3. Plymouth State kept its foot on the gas the rest of the way as Ryan's final kill wrapped up the 25-11 victory.
By the Numbers:
- Ryan put together another strong performance with 17 kills (.406), five blocks and five digs.
- McNeeley pounded 12 kills without an error (.571), while Sanderson added ten kills against just one error to go with three blocks.
- Butler led the way with 29 assists, while sophomore Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) added 20 assists and seven digs.
- Marucci posted a match-high 25 digs, while Stogner added nine kills and 14 digs.
- WestConn holds a slight 25-21 edge in the all-time series, though Plymouth State has won ten of the last 11 meetings. The Panthers are 10-4 at home.
- PSU is searching for its second LEC Tournament Championship, with the last coming in 2004.
Up Next:
- Second-seeded Plymouth State visits top-seeded UMass Dartmouth for the championship game on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 6:30 p.m.
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