COLCHESTER, Vt. – Graduate student
Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) slammed 18 kills and hit .500 as Plymouth State University rallied from an 0-2 deficit to top NCAA Division II St. Michael's College in a five-set thriller at the Ross Sports Center in non-conference women's volleyball action on Saturday. The Panthers went 2-0 against D-II competition on the day, also handling Assumption University, 3-1.
The Purple Knights held on for a pair of close wins (25-23, 25-20) to build the 2-0 lead. The third set was deadlocked at 23-23, but a huge block by graduate student
Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.) and senior
Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) and an SMC error allowed PSU to extend the match (25-23). The Panthers controlled the fourth set throughout, winning 25-15, and seemed to be on the way to a comfortable victory in set five with an 11-6 advantage. The hosts rallied to knot the game at 11-11, but a Sanderson kill broke the tie and PSU's front line combined for three straight blocks to secure the win.
In the second match of the afternoon, Plymouth State handled the Greyhounds in the opening set (25-16), but Assumption answered back with a close 25-21 win in set two. Freshman
Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) served the Panthers to a 6-1 lead in set three and Plymouth State never looked back, cruising to a 25-14 win. The Panthers closed out the victory with a dominating 25-10 victory in the fourth set as senior
Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) recorded an impressive double-double with 16 kills and 15 digs.
Plymouth State stays unbeaten in the early season, moving to 4-0 on the year. St. Michael's outlasted Assumption in the day's final match, 3-2, to end the day at 1-1, while the Greyhounds fall to 0-2.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, St. Michael's 2
- Plymouth State 3, Assumption 1
- Plymouth State (4-0)
- St. Michael's (1-1)
- Assumption (0-2)
How it Happened (St. Michael's):
- The opening set stayed close in the early going. St. Michael's built a 14-9 advantage, but Sanderson's kill and a strong run at the service line from Emerson helped the Panthers jump in front, 16-15. The hosts answered back to take a 24-18 lead, but PSU clawed back. King's kill and a Sanderson block pulled Plymouth State to within 24-21 to force an SMC timeout. Out of the break, the Panthers' defense forced a pair of SMC attack errors to cut the margin to one, 24-23, but St. Michael's closed out the 25-23 win with a kill.
- The Panthers had a 13-9 lead in set two before a four-point run by St. Michael's evened the game. The score was tied four more times, the last at 18-apiece, before the hosts used a four-point burst to gain some separation, ultimately clinching the contest with a 25-20 victory.
- SMC snagged an 8-3 lead in the third set, forcing an early timeout. Ryan sparked a Panthers' run with a kill out of the break to tie the game at 10-10. Another Ryan kill gave PSU an 18-13 lead, but St. Michael's would battle back to even the score at 23-23. King and Sanderson teamed up for a big block to give PSU set point and a Purple Knights' error extended the match.
- Plymouth State's offense came alive in the fourth set and kills from Emerson and freshman Cami Wessels (Plantsville, Conn.) secured an 11-4 lead. Plymouth State continue to extend the margin, coasting to a 25-15 win to force the decisive set.
- The teams went back and forth in the early going with the Panthers enjoying a narrow 5-4 lead. Wessels found the floor on back-to-back points to give PSU an 8-4 lead at the switch, but again the hosts fought back to tie the game at 11-11. Sanderson smashed a kill to snap the tie and Ryan, Sanderson and sophomore Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) teamed up for three consecutive blocks to close out the victory.
By the Numbers (St. Michael's):
- Ryan finished with 18 kills to hit an even .500 for the match (18-3-30), while Sanderson added 11 kills.
- King chipped in nine kills with Wessels adding seven in just three sets.
- Emerson finished with 41 assists and five aces.
- PSU's front line was outstanding as Ryan tallied seven blocks, with Sanderson (six) and King (five) also slowing the Purple Knights' attack.
- Senior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) posted a match-best 26 digs.
- Trailing 2-1, Plymouth State hit .361 and .308 in the final two sets.
- Plymouth State improves to 9-1 all time against the Purple Knights.
How it Happened (Assumption):
- After things stayed close to start the first set, Plymouth State opened up a five-point lead (13-8) on Sanderson's back-to-back kills. Assumption rallied to tie the game at 14-14, but an error and consecutive kills from Ryan gave PSU a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Greyhounds would get as close as 18-16 until Hampton served out the contest with six straight points for the 25-16 win.
- Assumption built an 11-4 advantage in set two. The Greyhounds still led 20-13 before Plymouth State attempted a late rally. The Panthers chipped away behind Stogner's strong serving, pulling to 23-21 to force a timeout, but Assumption responded out of the break with back-to-back points for a 25-21 win.
- Emerson quickly helped the Panthers to a 6-1 lead with an early service run and Plymouth State would continue to extend the margin. Stogner smashed two of her five kills in the set to make it 22-13 as PSU would wrap up the win, 25-14, on a Greyhounds' error.
- It was Marucci who would jumpstart the Panthers in set four as PSU raced out to an 8-1 lead. Wessels and graduate student Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) were dominant in the front row, combining for nine kills without an error, as Plymouth State extended the margin to 21-8. McNeeley sandwiched a pair of kills around one from Stogner to account for the 25-10 final.
By the Numbers (Assumption):
- Stogner posted her first double-double of the year and hit .343 for the match.
- Wessels chipped in eight kills in two error-free sets and Sanderson added seven kills without an error.
- Emerson posted 26 assists and nine digs, while senior Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) added 18 assists.
- Marucci again led the team in the backrow, piling up 27 digs.
- PSU tallied 29 kills and had just three attack errors between sets three and four. Plymouth State posted an 80% sideout rate in the third set and an outstanding 90% rate in the fourth.
- Assumption hit just .079 for the match.
- This was the first ever meeting between the two programs.
Up Next:
- The Panthers open the home schedule on Tuesday (Sept. 10) when Norwich visits Foley Gymnasium for a 5:00 p.m. matchup.
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