MANCHESTER, N.H. – Saint Anselm played near-flawless volleyball in Tuesday night's showdown against Northeast-10 leader Stonehill—in the first two sets.
Freshman outside Kathryn Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.) recorded a match-high 16 kills and senior Melissa Jewett (Newton, Mass.) added a match-high with 25 digs, but the Hawks couldn't quite snag that third set victory as the visiting Skyhawks stole one in Stoutenburgh, 17-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-5.
Saint Anselm (7-8, 1-4 NE-10) came out on a mission in the first set, as on-point defense transitioned into an efficient offense. Saint Anselm hit .351 in the first set alone with Jewett notching eight digs and Teets tallying seven kills.
While the attack percentage cooled off a bit in set two, Saint Anselm junior outside Lauren Oxley (Bristow, Va.) put up a monster six kills and no errors on .667 hitting in the second stanza, carrying the Hawks to an early two-set lead.
Yet the NE-10 unbeaten Skyhawks regained composure and broke a 21-21 tie to close out the third set on a four-point run. Opportunity struck again in the fourth set as the Hawks jumped ahead 23-22 late. Yet three straight unforced errors handed Stonehill the set, locking the heated match at two sets apiece.
The fifth set was a struggle for the Hawks as Stonehill (14-3, 5-0) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Six attack errors and two service errors handed the Skyhawks eight free points, which was more than enough to steal a huge road win.
Oxley's outburst of 12 kills Tuesday was a season-high, also adding a pair of blocks and three digs on the night. Sophomore right side Brennah Gladwill (Citrus Heights, Calif.) added nine kills and senior setter Natalie Steinwart (Aurora, Ill.) posted her fifth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 13 digs.
The Hawks return to action Friday, hosting Franklin Pierce in another important NE-10 league matchup. Game time at Stoutenburgh is set for 7:30 p.m.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
