STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-9, 6-0 GNAC) swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tri-match with Rivier University (10-10, 5-1 GNAC) and Norwich University (1-15, 0-7 GNAC) on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday.
Saint Joseph's def. Rivier, 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-23, 26-24)
Saint Joseph's opened with a 25-21 win in the first set, sparked by back-to-back kills from Victoria Briones (El Paso, Texas) to take a 9-8 lead the Monks never relinquished. Tied 18-18 late, SJC closed on a 7-3 run to secure the frame.
Rivier answered in the second, jumping out 6-1 and never trailing. The Monks pulled within 15-13 after kills from Kylie Giakoumis (Middletown, N.Y.), Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.), and Greta Mackintosh (Plymouth, Mass.), but the Raiders regrouped for a 10-2 finish to even the match.
The third and fourth sets were tightly contested, with 17 ties and 10 lead changes combined. SJC eked out a 25-23 win in the third on consecutive Raider errors, then withstood a late Rivier surge in the fourth. After the visitors erased a 22-15 deficit to lead 23-22, Sixto, Maddie Garrett (Euless, Texas), and Giakoumis delivered clutch kills and the Raiders committed an error, sealing the 26-24 set and 3-1 match victory.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held a slim lead in kills (48-46), assists (42-38), blocks (3-2), and digs (71-70) while Rivier posted an 8-4 advantage in service aces.
SAINT JOSEPH'S LEADERS:
- Greta Mackintosh (Plymouth, Mass.) – 14 kills, 7 digs, 225 hitting %
- Kylie Giakoumis (Middletown, N.Y.) – 9 kills, .348 hitting %
- Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – 9 kills, 2 blocks
- Riley Greenley (Newark, Del.) – 18 assists, 12 digs
- Maddie Garrett (Euless, Texas) – 18 assists, 2 kills, 5 digs
- Larisa Comolli (Nashua, N.H.) – 5 kills, 2 blocks, 8 digs
- Jessica Christman (Virginia Beach, Va.) – 13 digs
- Livy McDonough (West Friendship, Md.) – 10 digs
RIVIER LEADERS
- Callie Nanos – 12 kills, .344 hitting %
- Lily Seibel – 32 assists, 26 digs
- Savannah Dunne – 8 kills, 2 digs
- Sam Driend – 8 kills, 8 digs
- Kaitlyn Miller – 13 digs, 4 assists
- Lacey Turner – 4 kills, 3 aces, 9 digs
Saint Joseph's def. Norwich, 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-21)
Saint Joseph's set the tone with a commanding first set, as Greta Mackintosh and Kylie Giakoumis powered the attack. Riley Greenley kept the pressure on from the service line with a run of aces, and the Monks capitalized on Norwich miscues to close out a 25–12 win while hitting .227 as a team.
The Monks carried that momentum into the second frame with an overwhelming 11–0 start, led by Addison Thomas (London, Ohio), who fired three service aces and set up a Giakoumis kill during the surge. Norwich called timeout down 7–0 but couldn't slow the onslaught, finally breaking through on a service error at 11–1. Saint Joseph's hit .273 (9-3-22) in the set, while the Cadets mustered just two kills and a -.077 attack rate.
Norwich showed fight in the third, with Bella Belldina Ray (4 kills, .571) and Grace Davie (3 kills, .600) keeping the score tight. But the Monks' depth proved decisive, as Sydney Swanson (Columbus, Ohio) and Mackintosh came through with clutch swings to seal the sweep, 25–21.
SAINT JOSEPH'S LEADERS:
NORWICH LEADERS:
- Grace Davie – 5 kills, .400
- Bella Belldina Ray – 4 kills, .333
- Autumn Parkhurst – 8 assists
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held comfortable leads in kills (33-16), assists (24-15), service aces (15-2), and digs (25-19) in the victory
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host University of New England on Wednesday in a non-conference match slated to start at 6:00 PM.
