MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College volleyball team put forth a very strong performance in its season opener Saturday with two clean sweeps. The Hawks opened up the day defeating Assumption College 25-17, 25-19, 25-13 before grinding out a challenge from Post University 26-24, 26-24, 25-17.
The atmosphere in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium was steamy as humidity levels were likely near record levels. Yet while still working out some of the kinks of the early season, the volleyball team learned one thing after Saturday—it will definitely compete at a higher level this season.
"I was really impressed with our senior leadership today," third-year head coach Dan Young said. "And the success of our underclassmen was really because of them. I'm really happy with the play of our seniors today."
That senior leadership came statistically from setter Natalie Steinwart (Aurora, Ill.) and libero Melissa Jewett (Newton, Mass.). Steinwart notched 29 assists apiece while Jewett recorded match totals of 18 and 10 digs respectively.
With upperclassmen anchoring the leadership roles, a pair of underclassmen in particular swung freely on opposite ends of the net. Sophomore right side Brennah Gladwill (Citrus Heights, Calif.) tallied 21 kills across both matches and freshman Kathryn Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added 20 kills on the day as both combined to hit at a .262 clip.
"Teets was just great today. And we have relied heavily on Bren as a freshman last year for her offense," Young said. "Even though she's been getting fewer sets already this year due to spreading the ball around more, her efficiency is picking up. And her defense has improved this offseason—that's been the biggest addition to her game."
Saint Anselm (2-0) truly dominated the opening matchup against their NE-10 rivals, cruising to a 25-17, 25-19, 25-13 victory over Assumption. The Hawks took complete control from the service line, tallying 14 aces against the Greyhounds—including four apiece from sophomores CC Chrisom (Dover, N.H.) and Catherine Morgan (Farmington Hills, Mich.).
"Serving in the first game was really good, and from a variety of people too," Young said. "Against Assumption we were six deep from the service line."
In the third and final match of the day, Post and Saint Anselm played a very entertaining affair as the two evenly-matched squads traded points throughout set one. Down 23-22, Saint Anselm used a pair of Post errors to take first set point. An Eagle kill tied the set at 24, but it was Teets time once again as she rattled off the final two points to take a 1-0 set lead.
Set two was much the same, though it was Saint Anselm that blew a 23-20 lead to fall into a 24-24 tie. Who else, but the freshman outside came through in the clutch to score the set win. Fatigue set in for Post (1-1) in set three, as Saint Anselm took a 9-8 lead that it would never relinquish.
Post defeated Assumption 25-20, 25-13, 25-23 in the second game of the day.
The Hawks will have a short turnaround this week, heading into a Tuesday matchup against crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University. The non-conference matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
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