PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) and senior
Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) combined for 36 kills as Plymouth State University held off Rivier University, 3-2 (25-23, 25-13, 21-25, 20-25, 15-9), in a non-conference women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
McKay slammed a career-best 20 kills without an error to post a .571 attack percentage, while Cahill added 16 kills in the win.
Plymouth State built a five-point lead in the opening set, then held off a late Raiders' charge to take the opening set, 25-23. The PSU offense was outstanding in set two, hitting .600 as a team with just one error in a 25-13 win, but Rivier bounced back. The Raiders built a late seven-point advantage in set three, then held on, 25-21, and the visitors followed suit in the fourth set, 25-20, to force a decisive fifth.
Rivier jumped out to a 3-0 lead in set five, but PSU rallied. The Panthers held a 9-8 advantage, then closed the set on a 6-1 run to secure the win.
Plymouth State improves to 10-3, while the Raiders fall to 6-6.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Rivier 2
- Plymouth State (10-3)
- Rivier (6-6)
How it Happened:
- A Raiders' service error snapped a 10-10 tie, and junior Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) scored four straight points for a 15-10 lead. PSU maintained the five-point edge into the late stages, but Rivier chipped away. An ace pulled the Raiders within one, 24-23, but Cahill slammed home a kill out of a timeout to secure the opening set.
- Junior Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) pounded a kill for a 10-4 lead midway through the second set. Plymouth State extended the lead to double-digits, 18-8, before coasting to the 25-13 win to take a two-set lead.
- Cahill's kill put the Panthers ahead, 14-10, but Rivier responded with six straight points, and the visitors stayed in front the rest of the way. The Raiders extended the lead to 24-17 before Plymouth State attempted to claw back. Cahill and McKay pounded consecutive kills, and an error cut the deficit to 24-21, but the visitors held on for a 25-21 win.
- Rivier raced out to an 11-4 lead in set four. Plymouth State rallied out of a timeout, using a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to one, 20-19, but the Raiders answered with three straight points and extended the match, 25-20.
- Rivier scored the first three points of the fifth set, but the Panthers settled in. Plymouth State led by just one, 9-8, until a kill from junior Addison Soleau (Niantic, Conn.) sparked a 6-1 surge to secure the match. Cahill had three kills in the spurt, including the match-winning kill to seal the 15-9 win.
By the Numbers:
- McKay finished with a career-high 20 kills on 35 attempts without an error, good for a .571 attack percentage. She added three blocks and six digs.
- Cahill finished with 16 kills and two blocks, while Riley added 11 kills and four blocks.
- Emerson registered 38 assists, 16 digs and two aces.
- Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) led the defense with 21 digs, while sophomore Alexa Marucci (Newton, Mass.) chipped in 17.
- PSU did not commit an attack error in the fifth set (7-0-25, .280).
- Plymouth State has won five straight matches, including consecutive five-set wins.
- The Panthers lead the all-time series, 17-7, including each of the last seven meetings. This was the seventh meeting to go the distance.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts WestConn for a Homecoming matchup on Saturday (Oct. 3) at 9:30 a.m.
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