MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Katy Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.) tallied a match-high 18 kills, freshman Sarah Lowery (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 15 and sophomore Amanda Williams (North Andover, Mass.) added 12 to lead the Saint Anselm College volleyball team to a near-upset of unbeaten Northeast-10 juggernaut Adelphi University Saturday afternoon, but the Hawks fell 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-12, 18-16 to the Panthers at Stoutenburgh Gym.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Teets capped off a prolific week with her third straight double-digit kill tally, adding three digs and a block Saturday against Adelphi.
• Lowery's 15 kills came off an efficient .263 hitting from the outside, also notching 12 digs for her fourth double-double of her rookie season. She also picked up three blocks, including one solo stuff Saturday.
• Williams was connecting well with freshman setter Jewel Hays (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), posting double-digit kills for just the fifth time this season. She also added four blocks and a pair of digs.
• Senior Lauren Oxley (Bristow, Va.) appeared in her final home game, recording nine kills, four digs, two blocks, an assist and a service ace.
• Sophomore Amanda Bickford (Salem, N.H.) notched career-highs with eight kills and three blocks, also adding a pair of digs and an ace.
• Hays dished out 52 assists on the night—her third time eclipsing the mid-century mark in that category—while also contributing eight digs, a block and a service ace.
• Junior CC Chrisom (Dover, N.H.) saved a team-high 17 digs, also posting an ace on the afternoon. Fellow backrow specialist Danielle Isbell (Poway, Calif.) added 10 digs—her seventh straight double-digit dig tally.
For the Panthers…
• Four Panthers recorded double-digit kills, led by Mandy Stanislovaitis' 17. McKenna Clawson and Shelby Stoner added 12 kills apiece while Megan Minerski dished out a match-high 54 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Anselm came hot out of the gates, jumping to a 7-1 lead in the first set off efficient hitting from Williams, Teets and Oxley. Adelphi closed to with two on three separate occasions, including staving off three straight set points before Teets finally ended the first set in favor of the hosts, 25-22.
• The script was flipped for the second set as Adelphi pushed out to a commanding 12-5 lead, eventually pulling down the stretch to a 22-12 advantage. The Hawks would piece a nice 7-1 run together to close to within four, but kills by Stoner and Stanislovaitis shut the door, 25-19.
• Saint Anselm fed off that late rally in the second set, pulling away to an 18-11 lead off a Hays dump. The Panthers would put on a charge late, using a 5-1 run to close to within 23-21, but a masterful cut shut by Bickford and a deep cross from Lowery put the Hawks up 2-1.
• Something was clearly advantageous to playing on the east side of Stoutenburgh, as an elimination-facing Adelphi completely dominated the fourth set. Three straight Hawk errors ended the set and locked the match at two sets apiece.
• An emphatic Panther block and ensuing kill by Stoner gave Adelphi a 7-3 lead early in the deciding fifth set before a pair of Teets kills and a service error would put the visitors up 8-5 at the turn. Two errors and a Hays ace would swing the pendulum back to even at 8-8 and the teams traded punches in riveting finale. Saint Anselm would shake off a 13-10 deficit with a Williams kill and a block from Williams and Hays, and another Panther error tied the set at 13-13. Another Williams kill and an Oxley rip handed the Hawks their first match point at 16-15, but a costly setting bobble and two straight kills from Stanislovaitis and Stoner shook off the pesky Hawks for good, 18-16.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• Despite recording one less kill than Saint Anselm (64-63), the Panthers outhit the Hawks .278 to .198 on the afternoon, recording 10 fewer attack errors.
• Saint Anselm hit .417 off 19 kills and just four errors in the third set, while Adelphi returned the favor with a blistering .536 attack percentage in a dominant fourth set performance.
• The Hawks outblocked Adelphi 8-6, while the Panthers outdug Saint Anselm 66-61.
NOTES
• Adelphi improves to 10-1 all-time against the Hawks, winning nine straight since 2004.
• The Hawks had previously been unbeaten against teams from New York this season, handling Queens College, Molloy College and Nyack College in non-conference matchups earlier this year.
• Oxley, the lone senior on this year's team, was honored for her four years of commitment to the program in a short ceremony prior to Saturday's match.
UP NEXT
• Saint Anselm will finish off its 2015 campaign with a long road trip to upstate New York, battling the College of Saint Rose Friday before facing Le Moyne College Saturday. The Hawks will need to win both matchups, plus earn some help should they hope to sneak into this year's postseason.
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.
