WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior
Cami Wessels (Plantsville, Conn.) and sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) slammed nine kills apiece in the opener, while McKay added a match-high 12 kills in the nightcap as Plymouth State University swept Worcester State University and Elms College in a non-conference women's volleyball tri-match at Lancer Gymnasium on Saturday.
Plymouth State rallied from deficits in each of the first two sets before fighting off set point in the third to edge the Lancers, 25-22, 25-23, 26-24, in the opening match of the day. PSU erased a 21-18 deficit in the first set before overcoming an eight-point deficit at 16-8 in the second. The Panthers led for much of the third set before Worcester State took a late 24-23 lead. Wessels and McKay responded with consecutive kills, and an ace sealed the 26-24 victory.
The Panthers controlled the match against Elms, taking early leads in all three sets en route to 25-13, 25-10, 25-8 victories. McKay led the offense with 12 kills on 24 attempts, committing just one error for a .458 hitting percentage.
Plymouth State improves to 18-5 heading into the final week of the regular season. Worcester State, which defeated Elms in the final match of the day, moves to 7-18, while Elms drops to 4-18.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Worcester State 0
- Plymouth State 3, Elms 0
- Plymouth State (18-5)
- Worcester State (7-18)
- Elms (4-18)
How it Happened (Worcester State):
- PSU grabbed an early four-point lead, but the Lancers stayed close. The hosts used a four-point run to pull ahead, 21-18, before an ace from junior Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) tied the set at 22-22. McKay and the Panthers recorded three straight blocks to take the opening set, 25-22.
- Worcester State pulled away midway through the second set, using a six-point run to build an eight-point lead at 16-8. Plymouth State roared back with a 13-3 run behind three kills from McKay. The Lancers pulled even at 23-23, but sophomore Brooke Wyatt (Concord, N.H.) and senior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) recorded back-to-back kills to seal the 25-23 win.
- Plymouth State trailed 13-10 midway through the third set before long service runs from McKay and Emerson helped the Panthers take control. An Emerson ace capped the run and gave PSU a 19-14 lead. The Lancers battled to take a 23-22 advantage on an ace, but McKay answered with a kill. Worcester State earned set point on a PSU error, but Wessels and McKay hammered consecutive kills to put the Panthers ahead, 25-24. Sophomore Alice Borriello Diaz (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) clinched the 26-24 win with an ace out of the timeout.
By the Numbers (Worcester State):
- McKay and Wessels finished with nine kills apiece. McKay added five blocks.
- Junior Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) contributed eight kills and five blocks.
- Emerson recorded 33 assists, eight digs, five kills and two aces.
- Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) posted 12 digs.
- Plymouth State improves to 15-1 in the all-time series.
How it Happened (Elms):
- McKay recorded back-to-back kills to give the Panthers a 9-3 lead. Riley's kill extended the advantage to double digits at 17-7, and PSU cruised to a 25-13 win. McKay finished the set with three consecutive kills.
- Plymouth State led wire-to-wire in the second set, racing out to a 6-0 advantage. Freshman Adriana Gauthier (Columbia, Conn.) recorded a pair of kills, while classmate Maddie Andrade (Hooksett, N.H.) added two aces to extend the lead to 19-7. McKay then served out the final five points of the 25-10 victory.
- The Panthers dominated the third set, with a Cahill kill helping them build an early 7-1 lead. Later, Borriello Diaz served three aces during a 9-0 run to extend the advantage to 23-4, and Riley's final kill sealed the 25-8 win.
By the Numbers (Elms):
- McKay pounded 12 kills (.458) and added four blocks.
- Riley chipped in seven kills and two blocks.
- Wyatt recorded four kills on five attempts.
- Emerson and Borriello Diaz each served three aces, while Emerson added 28 assists.
- Imbriano led the defense with 16 digs, while sophomore Alexa Marucci (Newton, Mass.) added 10.
- Plymouth State swept the Blazers in the teams' only other meeting in 2013.
Up Next:
- The Panthers travel to Colby-Sawyer for the penultimate game of the regular season on Thursday (Nov. 5) at 7 p.m.
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