PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) recorded a match-high 12 kills while hitting .429 to lead Plymouth State University to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-17) sweep of Bates College in a non-conference women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore
Alexa Marucci (Newton, Mass.) served five straight points to give PSU an early lead in the opening set, and the Panthers extended the margin to double digits before closing out a 25-19 win. Plymouth State led the second set from start to finish, then used a late 9-3 surge to secure the 25-18 victory. Another strong service run from Marucci helped the Panthers build an early cushion in the third set as they completed the sweep.
The match served as the team's annual
Dig Pink event to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Plymouth State improves to 16-4, while Bates falls to 11-7.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Bates 0
- Plymouth State (16-4)
- Bates (11-7)
How it Happened:
- McKay's first kill sent Marucci to the service line, where she served five straight points to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead. PSU stayed in front the rest of the way, extending the margin to 17-7 on a Bates error. The Bobcats served three consecutive aces to trim the deficit to 24-19, but junior Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) slammed a kill after a timeout to seal the 25-19 win.
- Plymouth State built a six-point cushion in the second set on a kill from sophomore Brooke Wyatt (Concord, N.H.) and a Bates error. The Bobcats pulled within one, 16-15, but Riley and junior Addison Soleau (Niantic, Conn.) delivered consecutive kills to force a timeout. The Panthers continued to build their lead after the break before McKay's kill closed out the 25-18 victory.
- Marucci recorded a pair of aces during a long service run as the Panthers grabbed an early 10-3 lead in the third set. A Bates block pulled the Bobcats within 10-6, but that was as close as they would get. McKay extended the lead to 18-11 with another kill, and PSU wrapped up the sweep with a 25-17 win.
By the Numbers:
- McKay finished with 12 kills (.429), two blocks and an ace.
- Riley added six kills and three blocks.
- Soleau recorded five kills without an error (.500) and added two blocks, while Wyatt and senior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) also recorded five kills.
- Junior Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) registered a match-best 17 assists and added six digs.
- Marucci finished with seven digs and four aces.
- Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) led all players with 12 digs.
- Plymouth State hit .308 for the match, including .481 in the first set, while holding Bates to .158.
- The Panthers have won 11 of their last 12 matches, including five straight. Nine of those 11 wins have come in three sets.
- Plymouth State's last win against Bates came in 2005. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 6-3.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State travels to UMass Dartmouth for a key Little East Conference (LEC) match on Friday (Oct. 30) at 6 p.m. The teams have met in the LEC Tournament championship match each of the last three seasons.
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