PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University women's volleyball team added two more wins to its record, knocking off Western Connecticut State University, 3-1 (25-16, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17) and Gordon College, 3-1 (25-16, 26-28, 25-12, 25-12) in women's volleyball action at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday.
With both teams looking to stay unbeaten in Little East Conference (LEC) play, Plymouth State and WestConn split the first two sets. Set three went back-and-forth, with the Panthers grabbing a five-point lead and WestConn answering back time and again. PSU led 21-18, but the visitors responded with four straight points to pull ahead. Facing set point, graduate student
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) slammed back-to-back kills and a WestConn error gave PSU a 26-24 win. Plymouth State followed with a 25-17 win in set four, using a match-deciding 9-2 run to close out the victory.
The matchup with Gordon followed a similar pattern, with the Panthers winning comfortably in the first set, only to drop a narrow contest in set two. With the match deadlocked at a set apiece, Plymouth State took over. The Panthers offense clicked into high gear, hitting .320 and .389 over the final two sets while the defense held Gordon to negative attack percentages in both sets to secure consecutive 25-12 wins.
Plymouth State runs its record to 18-1 (4-0 LEC). WestConn, which fell to Gordon in a five-set battle during the day's second match, moves to 12-8 (2-1 LEC), while the Fighting Scots end the day at 7-8.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, WestConn 1
- Plymouth State 3, Gordon 1
- Plymouth State (18-1, 4-0 LEC)
- WestConn (12-8, 2-1 LEC)
- Gordon (7-8)
How it Happened (WestConn):
- Senior Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) split the block on a kill as PSU took an 8-6 lead in the first set. Sanderson teamed up with graduate student Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) for a block to extend the margin to 13-8. Impressive digs by seniors Imalay Rodriguez Martinez (Juncos, Puerto Rico) and Ava Duymazlar (Plymouth, N.H.) down the stretch led to transition kills for the Panthers as the hosts took set one 25-16.
- WestConn got out to a quick start to snag an 8-3 lead and force an early PSU timeout. The Wolves maintained the five-point edge into the middle portion of the set, until a huge block from senior Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) and Ryan helped shift momentum as the Panthers pulled to within 16-15. The Wolves came right back with a 4-1 spurt and the visitors would stay in front the rest of the way to even the match with a 25-21 win.
- Set three was a back-and-forth affair. PSU came out with renewed energy to snag an early 5-1 lead, though WestConn quickly answered back to pull within one. The Panthers responded with a 6-1 surge to go ahead 12-6, but again the Wolves clawed back to get within a point, 14-13. Three times, Plymouth State went up by three only to have WestConn cut the deficit to one each time and a Wolves' ace knotted the score at 21-21 to force a PSU timeout. The teams traded points from there, with ties at 22-22, 23-23 and 24-24. Back-to-back kills by Ryan gave the Panthers set point and a WestConn error secured the 26-24 win.
- The Wolves got out to a five-point edge to start set four, but sophomore Abigail Bassingthwaite (Plymouth, N.H.) had two big kills and the PSU front line had a pair of blocks as the Panthers see-sawed into the lead, 14-11. The visitors pulled to within one, 16-15, but a service error and Stogner's kill sparked a five-point surge, and the Panthers rolled the rest of the way to earn a 25-17 win.
By the Numbers (WestConn):
- Ryan, Stogner and sophomore Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) notched ten kills apiece. Ryan finished without an attack error to hit .435.
- Stogner added 12 assists to record her third double-double of the year.
- Senior Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) posted 22 assists and five digs, while freshman Danielle Emerson (Brunswick, Maine) added 16 assists and nine digs.
- Senior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) anchored the back row with 21 digs.
- Plymouth State has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, though WestConn holds a slight 25-22 edge in the all-time series.
How it Happened (Gordon):
- Back-to-back Stogner kills gave the Panthers a 7-3 lead as Gordon used an early timeout. The Fighting Scots pulled even after the break, but PSU answered with a 6-1 surge, capped by a Sanderson kill. Gordon came back to retie the score at 16-16, but graduate student Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) slammed home a kill, and Hampton served the final eight points for the 25-16 victory.
- Gordon raced out to a 9-1 lead to start set two, but the Panthers slowly chipped away. PSU pulled to within two, 17-15, on Ryan's stuff block. Gordon followed with two straight points, but the Panthers rallied to tie the score at 19-19 on Hampton's ace. Hampton followed with three more points, including another ace, as PSU looked poised for the win, up 22-19. Gordon dug in, though, squaring the game at 22-22, then fighting off set point for a 28-26 win.
- McNeeley's kill jumpstarted the Panthers to a 7-1 lead to start the third set. PSU continued to extend the margin, using a 7-2 run to make it 15-5 and the Panthers never slowed down as Stogner's kill wrapped up the 25-12 win.
- The Panthers nursed a 7-6 lead early in set four, but again Stogner found the floor to spark a string of points. PSU used the 8-0 run to take control, with the advantage ballooning to 14-6. The Fighting Scots could not rally as PSU wrapped up the 25-12 victory.
By the Numbers (Gordon):
- Sanderson and Ryan led the Panthers with nine kills apiece. Sanderson hit .667 and added four blocks, while Ryan notched three aces and eight blocks.
- Marucci posted a match-best 23 digs, while Stogner and Hampton also reached double-digits with 13 and 10, respectively.
- McDonough and freshman Claire Parker (Gurnee, Ill.) combined for 30 assists. Parker added nine digs.
- The match was just the ninth meeting between the two teams, with the Panthers owning an 8-1 record in the head-to-head series.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to Endicott College on Wednesday (Oct. 16) for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Gulls.
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