STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (7-7, 3-0 GNAC) blanked University of Southern Maine (4-12, 0-1 LEC), 3-0 (26-24, 25-10, 25-15), in a non-conference women's volleyball match on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The opener featured four lead changes and eight ties, with Southern Maine gaining a mid-set edge behind strong serving. Saint Joseph's responded as Greta Mackintosh (Plymouth, Mass.) and Victoria Briones (El Paso, Texas) sparked a 5–0 run, and the hosts closed out a 26–24 win on a Kylie Giakoumis (Middletown, N.Y.) kill and a Husky error.
The Monks dominated the second set, hitting .440 and using a 12–3 surge to take control. Mackintosh and Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.) tallied four kills each in the 25–10 rout.
In the third, the teams were even at 8–8 before SJC broke free with a 12–2 run highlighted by four kills from Briones, who later added the match-clinching slam in a 25–15 finale that sealed the sweep.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Points: SJC 53.0 – USM 25.0
- Kills: SJC 43 – USM 14
- Hitting%: SJC .337 – USM .061
- Aces: SJC 8 – USM 8
- Blocks: USM 3 – SJC 2
- Assists: SJC 35 – USM 13
- Digs: SJC 36 – USM 27
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPHS:
- Briones – Match-high 11 kills with a .409 hitting percentage, plus 6 digs and a pair of aces.
- Mackintosh – 10 kills, .588 hitting rate, and a block assist.
- Freshman Emily Mendelson (Springboro, Ohio) - Eight kills on 14 attempts.
- Freshman Maddie Garrett (Euless, Ohio) – 13 assists, two kills, and a service ace.
- Giakoumis – Five kills on 14 attempts.
- Sophomore Riley Greenley (Newark, Del.) – 17 assists and six digs
- Freshman Addison Thomas (London, Ohio) – Two kills, two aces, three digs, and a pair of total blocks.
LEADERS - SOUTHERN MAINE:
- Junior Kylee Eubanks-Hemme (Rosamond, Calif.) – Three kills and four aces.
- Freshman Haylie Bidegain (Logan, N.M.) – Four kills, two aces, and a block solo.
- Freshman Reese Helisek (Halifax, Mass.) – 12 assists and match-best 10 digs.
- Junior Amelia Beatty (Rochester, N.H.) – Nine digs.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 23–24 all-time against the University of Southern Maine. The Monks, who also notched a 3–0 win over the Huskies earlier this fall, have recorded back-to-back straight-set shutouts of their in-state rivals for the first time since 2012.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will face off against University of Saint Joseph (11:00 AM) and Framingham State University (1:00 PM) on the USJ campus in West Hartford on Saturday.
