EASTON, Mass. – Junior Brennah Gladwill (Citrus Heights, Calif.) and sophomores Katy Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Amanda Williams (North Andover, Mass.) all recorded double-digit kills as the Saint Anselm College volleyball team surged to a gritty 3-2 (27-29, 25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10) Northeast-10 Conference opening victory over Stonehill College Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Teets led the Hawks with 15 kills Saturday in addition to a team-high five service aces, eight digs and a block assist.
• Freshman Jewel Hays (Aliso Niguel, Calif.) dished out a pair of match-highs with 46 assists and 14 digs, also chipping in three blocks and six kills for a very productive afternoon.
• Williams added a season-high 11 kills and three blocks, including a solo stuff.
• Gladwill's 11 kills accompanied three digs and two block assists.
• Senior Lauren Oxley (Bristow, Va.) and freshman Sarah Lowery (Chicago, Ill.) each added eight kills apiece and four and three blocks, respectively.
• Junior CC Chrisom (Dover, N.H.) scooped up 12 digs and sophomore Danielle Isbell (Poway, Calif.) served up a season-high three aces against the Skyhawks.
• Stonehill's Marykay Nasby registered a match-high 24 kills on a potent .422 hitting clip.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Stonehill shook off a slow start to turn a 20-16 deficit into a 23-22 lead late in the opening frame. The Skyhawks then staved off three set points and eventually used a pair of kills and an untimely Hawk error to steal away the first set, 29-27.
• The exact opposite was the case in the second set as the Skyhawks raced out to an early 15-8 lead before Saint Anselm swung the momentum en route to a 17-5 run to blast to a come-back 25-20 set win.
• The Hawks retained that momentum for most of the third set, never trailing in a 25-21 win to pull ahead 2-1 in set wins.
• Set four was a game of runs as Saint Anselm's four-point run to go up 14-10 was promptly mimicked with one by the Skyhawks. After trading points, Stonehill used a five-point streak to go ahead 20-16 and held Saint Anselm at bay for a 25-20 fourth set win, locking the match at two sets apiece.
• Saint Anselm has opened the vast majority of its sets this season very strong, which worked in the Hawks' favor Saturday as they jumped out to an 8-4 lead at the court switch. The hosts chipped away, however, and closed to within 9-8 on a service ace. It was Teets time directly following that scare as the sophomore put away two big kills and paired it with two Skyhawk errors as Saint Anselm closed the final set on a 6-2 run to snag a huge league-opening win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Saint Anselm's offensive efficiency was key to the victory as the Hawks recorded a .267 attack percentage Saturday, including a 15-kill, no-error .600 hitting clip in the third set alone. Stonehill wasn't too far behind, however, hitting .255 on the afternoon.
• Saint Anselm's lone solo block proved the difference in comparing the two teams as the Hawks held a 9-8 advantage in that category.
• Saint Anselm recorded a season-high 12 service aces.
• Stonehill battled through seven ball-handling errors, compared to just two for Saint Anselm.
NOTES
• The Hawks start the conference season 1-0 for just the second time in school history. Their last 1-0 start came in 2012 when the Hawks held off Stonehill, 3-1, at Saint Anselm's Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
• Saint Anselm improves to 15-18 all-time against Stonehill and 9-14 in NE-10 Conference matchups.
• Saint Anselm exacts revenge on last season's five-set-thriller defeat played in Stoutenburgh with Saturday's victory.
UP NEXT
• Saint Anselm will look to keep its win streak alive as it travels to Pace University next Saturday, September 26, for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Setters.
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