PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) smacked 11 kills to pace a dynamic Plymouth State University offense as the Panthers swept past the University of Southern Maine, 3-0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-15) in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
PSU committed just two attack errors in the opening set, a 25-17 win, with Hampton leading the charge with four kills without an error. She continued her strong play with another four kills in set two, while senior
Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) served the Panthers to a quick 8-1 lead. PSU would never look back in a 25-9 dismantling of the Huskies. Senior
Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) came alive in the third set with five kills on nine attempts and Hampton's long service run gave the hosts an early lead that was never threatened as the green-and-white completed the sweep with a 25-15 victory.
Plymouth State was playing in its annual
Dig Pink game, raising funds and awareness for breast cancer research.
PSU improves to 16-1 (3-0 LEC), while the Huskies slip to 4-14 (0-3 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Southern Maine 0
- Plymouth State (16-1, 3-0 LEC)
- Southern Maine (4-14, 0-3 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State held a modest two-point lead, 7-5, early in the opening set until senior Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) and graduate student Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) combined for a block. Hampton followed with a kill as the Panthers scored four straight points to take control. Senior Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) fired an ace and Stogner's kill pushed the margin to 20-11 to force a timeout. PSU coasted the rest of the way, with Hampton accentuating the 25-17 victory with a set-winning kill.
- Marucci stepped up to the service line with set two tied at 1-1 before running off seven straight points. Ryan and Sanderson combined for five kills in the spurt to force an early USM timeout. The break did little to slow the Panthers as the lead grew to double figures on a Ryan kill. PSU kept its foot on the gas as the advantage ballooned to 23-5 and moments later a Sanderson kill secured the 25-9 win.
- It was Hampton who provided the early service run in set three as the Panthers raced out to a 9-2 lead. McDonough's ace pushed the margin to 14-4 as USM called timeout in hopes of slowing the Panthers down. Once again, PSU continued to roll out of the break as a Hampton kill made it 21-9 and Stogner would close out the sweep with a final kill to make it 25-15.
By the Numbers:
- Hampton finished with 11 kills and a .391 attack percentage, adding six digs.
- Stogner chipped in nine kills (.421), six digs and four blocks, with Ryan adding eight kills (.389), three aces and three blocks.
- Sanderson was also impressive with six kills and two blocks while hitting .333.
- McDonough led the way with 13 assists, while Marucci matched a game-high with 15 digs.
- Plymouth State hit .317 for the match, holding the Huskies to a .047 hitting percentage.
- The Panthers have never lost to Southern Maine, now holding a 31-0 record in the all-time series.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts Western Connecticut State and Gordon College in a trimatch on Saturday (Oct. 12). The Panthers square off against WestConn in another LEC match at 11:00 a.m., before battling Gordon at 1:00 p.m.
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