WILMINGTON, Del. – The Saint Anselm volleyball team got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon, recording a pair of dramatic victories at the Goldey-Beacom tri-match. The Hawks overcame an 0-2 deficit against the host Lightning to pull out a 16-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-13 victory before cruising past Cheyney, 25-13, 25-7, 25-21.
The wins take Saint Anselm to 5-2 on the year—the program's best start since 1998.
Freshman middle hitter Amanda Williams (North Andover, Mass.) put on a show Saturday, tallying a team-high 24 kills on the day. She also hit at a blistering .300 clip—including an errorless nine-kill outing against Cheyney.
Sophomore right side Brennah Gladwill (Citrus Heights, Calif.) added 15 kills against Goldey-Beacom while freshman outside Kathryn Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added 11 kills in her return from injury.
Goldey-Beacom (4-4) used a 13-4 run to close out the first set, and took control early in set two on a multitude of Saint Anselm errors and misplays. Though the Hawks revived themselves in the third set, rallying off seven straight points to surge into the lead, 19-17. Tied at 20-20, kills from Williams, sophomore middle Micaela Donatio (North Andover, Mass.) and Gladwill kept the Hawks' heartbeat alive.
The trio of Williams, Gladwill and Teets continued to bank points in set four, as the Saint Anselm pulled away late. An emphatic block from Donatio and senior setter Natalie Steinwart (Aurora, Ill.) locked the match at two sets apiece.
Playing its second five-set match over the span of five days, Saint Anselm took control on kills from Steinwart and Teets. The Hawks ballooned their lead to 11-8 with kills from Gladwill and two Lightning hitting errors.
Three straight GBC points tied the final frame at 11 apiece, but it was back to what got them there for the Hawks as Williams came through with a big kill in the middle. A service ace from senior libero Melissa Jewett (Newton, Mass.) gave them the essential two-point separation and two more Lightning errors handed Saint Anselm the match, 3-2.
Riding the wave of momentum into the second matchup against Cheyney University, nine players tallied at least three kills as Saint Anselm outhit the Wolves .306 to .012 overall in the clean sweep.
Steinwart recorded 68 assists on the day, as freshman Danielle Isbell (Poway, Calif.) tallied a career-high 13 assists against Cheyney.
Saint Anselm will break into Northeast-10 Conference play this week, traveling to Bentley University Tuesday for a 7 p.m. start. The Hawks will then host Montevallo in a non-conference matchup Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
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