MANCHESTER, N.H. - Led by a career-best 14 kills by Kyla Gustavson (Nashua, N.H.), the Saint Anselm College volleyball team powered past the Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College by a 3-1 score in four sets.  With the victory, the Hawks improve to 5-11 on the season while also collecting their first Northeast-10 Conference victory (1-5).  The Purple Knights fall to 13-8 overall and drop to 2-4 within conference play.

The Hawks claimed victory in the first set 25-14 after opening the game with a 13-3 run.  Margaret Tereschuk (Mission Viejo, Calif.) powered the opening rally with two consecutive service aces and Kyla Gustavson (Nashua, N.H.) added two of her 14 kills in that stretch.  Natalie Steinwart (Aurora, Ill.) distributed the ball around the court in the first set, as each player recorded at least one kill and four players notched two kills.

A six-kill performance by Gustavson in the second set was for naught as Saint Michael's posted a 25-22 victory.  Lauren Ross (Dracut, Mass.) accumulated four kills in the second in addition to Charlotte Tencza's (Greenfield, Mass.) seven digs defensively.  Ross and Steinwart also combined to record one block apiece.

Tencza, Gustavson and Ross tallied three kills each in the third set as the Hawks claimed victory by a 25-19 margin.  The Hawks again opened up a wide margin to begin the set, at one point boasting an 11-4 score.  Gustavson and Tencza each recorded a service ace to their credit and Tereschuk recorded a game-high seven digs in the third set.

In the fourth set, the Hawks used a total of six service aces to secure the 25-14 victory.  Ross posted five kills in the second set in addition to Gustavson's three kills.  Kylie Kozlowski (Quincy, Mass.) knocked down two service aces, while Tencza, Steinwart, Gustavson and Holland McNabb (Huntington Beach, Calif.) adding aces of their own.  After jumping out to a 16-6 lead late in the final set, the Hawks capped off their victory with a service ace by Steinwart in the game's final play.

Cumulatively, Gustavson recorded 14 kills and 46 attacks in the victory, setting career-high marks in both categories.  Melissa Ouellet (Salem, N.H.) led the team with a .500 hitting percentage, posting four kills on eight attacks.  McNabb hammered home three service aces, a career-high mark.  Ross also set a career-high with six blocks in tonight's contest. 

Defensively, Tereschuk recorded a team-best 16 kills on the evening with Steinwart posting 41 assists in total.  The Hawks also combined for 46 assists in four sets as a team, the second-highest total dating back to the 2002 season.

For the Purple Knights, Chelsey Covitz posted 10 kills on the evening, the only player for Saint Michael's College to reach double-digit kill totals.  Defensively, Jess McLeod led the way with 17 digs and 23 assists to her credit.

The Hawks return to action this Saturday, Oct. 15 as they travel to Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. to participate in a tri-match against the Greyhounds and Mercy College.  The first match against Assumption begins at noon.