BIDDEFORD, Maine – Graduate students
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) and
Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) combined for 19 kills and five blocks, but the University of New England held off Plymouth State University, 3-1, in non-conference women's volleyball action at Coach Beaudry's Court on Wednesday night.
Plymouth State got a pair of late kills to take the opening set, 25-22, but the hosts answered back with a 25-18 win in set two. The third set went back-and-forth with seven ties in the first 22 points, before a three-point spurt gave UNE a lead it would not relinquish on the way to a 25-19 decision. The Nor'easters closed out the match in set four, 25-17.
Plymouth State slips to 21-3, while the Nor'easters improve to 17-5.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, UNE 3
- Plymouth State (21-3)
- UNE (17-5)
How it Happened:
- King and graduate student Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) teamed up for a block as the Panthers took an 8-4 lead in the opener. The Nor'easters rallied to tie the score, but senior Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) slammed a kill as PSU went up 13-10. Plymouth State stayed in front the rest of the way, but the hosts did not fold, cutting the deficit to just one on multiple occasions. Nursing a 23-22 lead, Stogner and McNeeley found the floor on back-to-back rallies to secure the 25-22 win.
- Things stayed close in the early going of set two as UNE held an 11-10 advantage. The hosts slowly extended the lead, going up by as many as eight (21-13) before Plymouth State began to claw back. Three straight UNE errors and Ryan's kill cut the deficit to 23-18, but UNE would score the final two points to even the match with a 25-18 win.
- The third set followed a similar pattern. The seventh tie of the set came at 11-11, before the hosts ripped off three straight points for a narrow lead. PSU kept it close, with kills by King and freshman Cami Wessels (Plantsville, Conn.) twice making it a one-point deficit. The Nor'easters used a 6-1 spurt late, though, to gain separation and secure the 25-19 victory.
- UNE got out to a fast start in set four to snag an 8-1 lead. The hosts were still up comfortably, 11-3, when Ryan's kill sparked the Panthers. PSU ran off five straight points to pull within 11-8 and force UNE into a timeout. The hosts retook a five-point cushion, though, and UNE would maintain the edge the rest of the way, holding on for a 25-17 victory.
By the Numbers:
- Ryan posted a team-high ten kills and added four blocks, while King slammed nine kills without an error (.562 attack pct.).
- Senior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) had a match-best 19 digs to go with a pair of aces.
- Freshman Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) finished with 21 assists and five digs in her homecoming.
- Plymouth State had won all 11 previous meetings between the two teams.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to Westfield State for a non-conference clash with the Owls on Saturday (Nov. 2). First serve is set for 11:00 a.m.
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