NEWPORT, R.I. – The Plymouth State University women's volleyball team stayed unbeaten after picking up another two wins on Saturday, sweeping Salve Regina University, 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-16) and ousting St. Joseph's University Long Island, 3-1 (25-10, 23-25, 25-20, 25-12) at Rodgers Recreation Center.
Plymouth State erased a four-point deficit late in the opening set to eke out a 25-23 win against the host Seahawks. Freshman
Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) served seven straight points as PSU pulled away late in set two, holding on for a 25-17 victory, and the Panthers led wire-to-wire to close out the sweep with a 25-16 win in the third set.
PSU held St. Joseph's to just three kills in the opening set of the second match of the day, rolling to a lopsided 25-10 win, but the Golden Eagles held on to take set two, 25-23. The important third set featured seven ties and three lead changes. Graduate student
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) slammed down a kill to snap a 16-16 tie and spark a game-winning 9-4 run and PSU sealed its 11th straight win with a 25-12 blowout in set four.
Plymouth State extends its hot start, moving to 11-0 on the year. Salve Regina goes to 3-7 after topping the Golden Eagles in the final match of the day, while St. Joseph's stands at 5-6 on the year.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Salve Regina 0
- Plymouth State 3, St. Joseph's 1
- Plymouth State (11-0)
- Salve Regina (3-7)
- St. Joseph's (5-6)
How it Happened (Salve Regina):
- The Seahawks got out to a good start, but Plymouth State clawed back to tie the game at 16-16 on a kill from sophomore Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.). Salve Regina took a 22-18 lead with back-to-back aces to force a PSU timeout. The Panthers rallied out of the break as Hampton smashed a pair of kills to pull even at 22-22. The teams traded points until Hampton's fifth kill of the set gave PSU set point and a Seahawks' error secured the 25-23 win.
- Set two stayed close in the early going, with the Panthers maintaining a slight advantage. PSU led by two, 13-11, until Ryan's kill and Emerson's serving sparked a long run. Hampton had three kills in the surge as the lead ballooned to 21-11, and PSU coasted to the 25-17 win.
- Plymouth State led from start to finish in set three. The Seahawks pulled within three, 13-10, but that was as close as they would get as PSU slowly extended the lead the rest of the way and back-to-back errors secured the 25-16 victory.
By the Numbers (Salve Regina):
- Hampton recorded a season-high ten kills and added five digs.
- Ryan finished with seven kills and hit .419.
- Emerson and senior Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) posted ten assists apiece.
- Senior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) posted a match-best 13 digs.
- PSU limited the Seahawks to a .084 attack percentage.
- Plymouth State has never lost to the Seahawks, improving to 9-0 all time. This was the first sweep since the 2010 season.
How it Happened (St. Joseph's):
- Ryan had a pair of early kills as Plymouth State quickly built a 10-4 lead. The Golden Eagles made a slew of errors as McDonough's serving run extended the margin to 19-6 and PSU rolled to a 25-10 decision in the opening set.
- St. Joseph's rebounded to build a 23-19 lead in set two. Freshman Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) found the floor and the Panthers were able to pull within one, 24-23, on Ryan's kill, but the Golden Eagles held on for a 25-23 win to even the match.
- Plymouth State trailed by four in the early going, but the Panthers rallied to tie the score at 10-10. Things stayed tight for a stretch, but Ryan's kill and Emerson's ace made it 18-16 and forced a SJU timeout. The Panthers controlled play out of the break and junior Abigail Bassingthwaite (Plymouth, N.H.) wrapped up the 25-20 victory with a kill.
- Looking to close out the match, Ryan, Hampton, and graduate student Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) all had kills as the Panthers snagged an early 6-1 lead in set four. The Golden Eagles got as close as 14-10, but senior Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) erased any thoughts of a comeback with a big kill and PSU went on to a 25-12 win.
By the Numbers (St. Joseph's):
- Sanderson and McNeeley both finished with identical lines of nine kills, one error and .500 hitting percentages.
- Ryan and Hampton chipped in seven kills apiece, while McDonough and Emerson evenly split 32 assists.
- Emerson added four aces to her stat line.
- Marucci posted 21 digs, with Hampton also reaching double-figures with ten.
- St. Joseph's hit .092 for the match. Plymouth State has limited nine of 11 opponents to attack percentages of .100 or lower.
- PSU is a perfect 3-0 against the Golden Eagles.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to Brandeis University on Wednesday (Sept. 25) for a 6:00 p.m. contest with the Judges.
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