WORCESTER, MASS. – The Saint Anselm College volleyball team downed Assumption University in non-conference action on Friday evening in straight sets.

The Hawks improve to 8-2 on the season while the Greyhounds fall to 2-3. Saint Anselm has won all their matches to this point in the season by 3-0 scores.

Saint Anselm won the match by scores of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-20.

Leading the way for the Hawks was junior Lauren Casey (Jefferson City, Mo.) with a match-high 10 kills. Sophomore Audrey Simmons (North Hampton, N.H.) followed closely with nine kills. Junior Michelle Henwood (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) posted a match-high 20 assists and 15 digs. Junior Caroline Belmontez (San Diego, Calif.) added 10 digs to the Hawks defense. Sophomore Audrey Wetjen (Henderson, Nev.) added six blocks to the scoring.

The Hawks controlled the scoring in set one, grabbing a 12-4 lead. The Greyhounds attempted to work their way back into the set but a pair of blocks by Wetjen pushed the score to 15-5. Saint Anselm continued to score in the set and would lead by as many as 13 before closing out the opener, 25-14. The Hawks registered a .520 hitting percentage in the opening set.

The teams battled through the second set as the Hawks led 13-12 following a Saint Anselm service error. However, seven consecutive points on kills by Casey and Wetjen, a service ace by Belmontez and four attack errors by the Greyhounds gave the Hawks enough breathing room to close out the second set, 25-17.

The Hawks rattled off eight of nine points early in the third set with kills from Simmons and Wetjen and six Greyhounds errors. That gave Saint Anselm a 12-5 lead in the frame. Saint Anselm led by 10 following a kill by freshman Gabby Belcher (Buckeye, Ariz.) and with the lead, the Hawks would close out the set and the match, 25-20.

Saint Anselm returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at Southern New Hampshire in another non-conference match.