STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (11-8, 5-2 GNAC) defeated New England College (9-9, 3-4 GNAC), 3-0, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) volleyball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.
The Monks earned the victory by set scores of 25-18, 25-8, and 25-22 during their annual Dig Pink event, supporting breast cancer awareness and supporting those affected by the disease. The team also sold T-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Maine Cancer Foundation.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's opened the match with three consecutive points and never trailed in the first set. Kills by sophomore Maddie Garrett (Euless, Texas) and freshman Sophia Fallon (New Canaan, Conn.) secured the final two points for a 25-18 victory.
The Monks took control early in the second frame and pulled away for a commanding 25-8 win. Garrett delivered two service aces during a four-point closing run to give Saint Joseph's a 2-0 match lead.
New England College kept the third set competitive and trimmed the deficit to 23-22 late in the frame. Senior Greta Mackintosh (Plymouth, Mass.) answered with a kill, and freshman Lauren Dunbar (Gorham, Maine) followed with the match-clinching kill to complete the sweep.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Mackintosh led the Monks with 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .417 hitting percentage and added a team-high 11 digs, three service aces, and a block assist.
- Senior Larisa Comolli (Nashua, N.H.) recorded six kills on 17 attempts and hit .294.
- Dunbar contributed five kills.
- Garrett handed out a team-high 16 assists and collected nine digs, two service aces, and a kill.
- Junior Riley Greenley (Newark, Del.) tallied 10 assists and a match-high four service aces.
- Sophomore Livy McDonough (West Friendship, Md.) posted eight digs and a service ace, while senior Jessica Christman (Virginia Beach, Va.) added seven digs.
- Fallon finished with two kills, two service aces, and a solo block.
- Freshman Lindsay Levesque (Arundel, Maine) contributed two kills, a solo block, and a block assist.
LEADERS – NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE:
- Teagan Saner paced the Pilgrims with five kills and added three digs, a service ace, and a solo block.
- Tyra Kelly recorded three kills on six attempts and hit .333.
- Maddy Rollinson collected a team-high seven digs and three assists.
- Lily Cunanan contributed six digs, two assists, and two service aces.
- Alexandra Seijas-Quea handed out four assists and added five digs.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held the advantage in kills (32-12), assists (30-10), service aces (12-4), and digs (42-32), while New England College led in total blocks (4-3). The Monks hit .189 and limited the Pilgrims to a -.025 hitting percentage.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-2 all-time against New England College. The Monks also swept the Pilgrims in last season's meeting.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's travels to Emmanuel College for a GNAC match on Saturday, October 17, at noon in Boston.
