WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior
Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) and sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) combined for 52 kills and 11 blocks as Plymouth State University fell to Wesleyan University, 3-0 (14-25, 23-25, 12-25), and host WPI, 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-9), at Harrington Auditorium on Saturday.
Riley slammed 11 kills and hit .409, while McKay added 13 kills in the setback to Wesleyan. After dropping the opening set, the Panthers maintained a slight edge through much of set two. The Cardinals scored consecutive points to snap a 23-23 tie, though, then completed the sweep in set three.
McKay pounded a career-high 18 kills (.400), while senior
Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) and Riley added 15 and 10, respectively, in the five-set battle against WPI. PSU built a big lead, then fought off a late rally to take the opener, but the Engineers won sets two and three to pull ahead. Plymouth State pulled away in set four to extend the match, but WPI used a 7-0 spurt to secure the fifth set and the match.
Plymouth State moves to 5-3, while Wesleyan, which defeated the Engineers in the first match of the day, stays unbeaten at 6-0. WPI goes to 3-4.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, Wesleyan 3
- Plymouth State 2, WPI 3
- Plymouth State (5-3)
- Wesleyan (6-0)
- WPI (3-4)
How it Happened (Wesleyan):
- Wesleyan, which advanced to the regional final last fall, raced out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Riley and McKay had a flurry of late kills, but the Cardinals took the opener, 25-14.
- Plymouth State nursed a slight edge for much of the second set. Freshman Maddie Andrade (Hooksett, N.H.) notched a kill to give PSU a 20-18 lead and force a Wesleyan timeout. The Cardinals rallied out of the break, going ahead, 23-21, but McKay's kill and a block from sophomore Fiona Bailey (Wrentham, Mass.) pulled the Panthers even. Wesleyan responded with back-to-back points, though, to eke out a 25-23 win.
- The Panthers stayed within arm's reach in set three, with another Andrade kill trimming the margin to 9-7. Wesleyan pulled away with an eight-point run before closing out the match, 25-12.
By the Numbers (Wesleyan):
- McKay led the offense with 13 kills and two blocks.
- Riley pounded 11 kills and hit .409, marking her fourth match with a .400 or better attack percentage.
- Junior Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) posted a match-best 18 assists, while senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) paced the defense with 13 digs.
- The match was just the second meeting between the two programs.
How it Happened (WPI):
- Emerson had a pair of aces and Cahill slammed two kills as PSU jumped ahead, 8-0, in set one. Plymouth State looked well on its way to a comfortable win, as Riley's kill made it 21-12, but the Engineers responded with a furious rally. WPI used a 10-2 spurt to pull within 23-22, but McKay had a pair of kills to fend off the comeback and secure a 25-23 win.
- WPI grabbed an early advantage in set two, though Emerson's block made it a one-point deficit, 9-8, in the early going. The hosts pulled away with a five-point spurt and PSU was unable to battle back as the Engineers evened the match with a 25-18 win.
- Riley's kill cut a WPI lead to 15-12 midway through the third set. The Engineers responded, going up by seven, 19-12, but PSU slowly chipped away. Another Riley winner made it 23-20, but that was as close as the Panthers would get as WPI held on, 25-20.
- Andrade had a long service run as Plymouth State went up by five early. Cahill's kill extended the margin to 20-13, and the teams traded points from there. Another Cahill winner gave PSU a 25-17 win to extend the match.
- McKay's early kill gave the Panthers a 4-1 lead early in the fifth set. WPI responded, using an 11-1 run to take the lead. Sophomore Emily Sousa (Farmington, Conn.) had back-to-back aces and classmate Alice Borriello Diaz (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) followed with a kill to pull within 12-9, but the Engineers scored the next three points to secure the match, 15-9.
By the Numbers (WPI):
- McKay smashed a career-high 18 kills (.400) with seven blocks.
- Cahill chipped in 15 kills and three blocks, while Riley added 10 kills and two blocks.
- Emerson posted 32 assists and three aces, while Sousa added 15 assists.
- Borriello Diaz led the PSU defense with 15 digs. Sophomore Alexa Marucci (Newton, Mass.) posted 12, while Andrade and Imbriano added 11 and 10, respectively.
- Plymouth State leads the all-time series, 4-2, though WPI has won each of the last two meetings.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Tuesday (Sept. 15) with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m.
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