October 18, 2011

STANDISH, ME – University of New England (12-11, 3-3 CCC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (15-8, 6-4 GNAC), 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-16), in a non-conference volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night. Junior setter Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) tallied 19 assists and 11 digs in the losing effort.

The in-state rivals battled for most of the opening set, which featured seven lead changes and 12 tie scores, but the Nor'easters denied the Monks' victory hopes with five consecutive kills late to secure a 25-20 triumph.

The Nor'easters' efficient finish in the opening set seemed to take the wind out of the visitors in the following set, as the Monks quickly found themselves in a 8-1 hole, thanks in part to four attack errors in the early going. As it turned out, St. Joe's would not recover from the slow start and fell by a 25-13 margin and a 2-0 deficit on the evening.

The Monks raced out to a 5-2 lead in what wound up being the final set, but the advantage quickly diminished when the Nor'easters notched five straight points to secure a 7-5 lead. Saint Joseph's answered with a 4-1 run and held a 9-8 edge after Emilee Penman '15 (Uncasville, Conn.) recorded a kill.

Unfortunately, the slim advantage was the last the hosts would record as the visitors netted three straight points, all off SJC errors, and outscored the Royal Blue by a 17-7 cushion for the remainder of the set to achieve a 3-0 victory.

For the Monks, Brooke Dyer '14 (Lebanon, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) recorded seven kills and five digs, Erica Russi '14 (Debary, Fla.) tallied five kills, three digs and two service aces, and Jordan Pelczar '12 (Meredith, N.H.) chipped in with a team-high 11 digs.

For the Nor'easters, Leah Janelle '15 (Madbury, N.H.) registered 13 kills, Angie Brunette '14 (North Andover, Mass.) added nine kills and three solo blocks, Jill Goldstein '13 (Lynnfield, Mass.) notched eight kills, and Maria Kuehl '14 (Middleton, N.H.) posted 29 assists and 13 digs.

UNE has now won 10 of its last 12 games and has defeated St. Joe's in 23 consecutive meetings.

Saint Joseph's will host University of Maine-Farmington on Wednesday at 7:00 PM, while UNE plays at Colby College at 6:30 PM tomorrow evening.