MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore
Melis Kocak (East Greenwich, R.I) had one of the best performances of her career on Saturday afternoon to help lead the Saint Anselm College women's volleyball team to a five-set win over Saint Michael's in non-conference action. Kocak set new career-highs in both blocks and kills and scored the last five points for the Hawks to seal the fifth set, 16-14.
UP NEXT:
- The Hawks will have some time off before their next match when they host Bentley for their Northeast-10 Conference opener on Fridyt, October 11th at 6:00 p.m.
Score: Saint Anselm 3, Saint Michael's 2
Records: Saint Anselm (6-8); Saint Michael's (4-10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Saturday, October 5th, 2024
Attendance: 224
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saint Anselm jumped out to an early 8-3 lead in the first set of the match. Kills from Kocak, junior Abigail Macalaguim (Chula Vista, Calif.), and freshmen Hannah Storm (Swansea, Mass.) and Taylor Lacerda (Franklin, Mass.) helped give the Hawks the early advantage.
- Saint Michael's temporarily stopped the bleeding after a kill from D'Niaya Settles, but another 5-0 run by Saint Anselm including another kill from Lacerda put the hosts ahead, 13-5.
- The Purple Knights attempted a comeback in the opening set and trimmed the deficit down to four points with the score at 17-13. Kocak and Lacerda provided a response for the Hawks, combining for a few more kills before sophomore Madeline Burke (Lake George, N.Y.) notched a service ace.
- Sophomore Sam Pila (Melbourne, Australia) finished the first set with a solid swing down the line, giving Saint Anselm a 25-16 win.
- The Hawks opened the second set on a similar note and jumped out to an 8-2 lead highlited by another pair of kills from Kocak and a service ace from sophomore Hollyn Frano (Cave Creek, Ariz.).
- Towards the middle of the set, the Purple Knights went on a 6-0 run with strong swings from Settles and Dana Welch to bring the score within three points.
- Saint Anselm countered with a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 21-10 and put the second set out of reach. Frano registered three kills, while Macalaguim and Storm each added one of their own during that stretch.
- Kocak finished business for the home team with another kill, allowing the Hawks to walk away with a 25-13 set victory and take a 2-0 set lead in the match.
- The tables began to turn in the third set as Saint Michael's got out on the front foot this time with a 9-4 lead. Nora Schulze contributed to the cause with a service ace and a kill for the Purple Knights.
- Frano attempted to keep the Saint Anselm hopes alive in the third set by tallying two kills to keep the score within five, but Welch delivered another clutch point for Saint Michael's and a late 5-0 Purple Knights run helped the visitors earn the 25-19 set victory.
- Saint Michael's kept their momentum going to begin the fourth set and eventually led, 10-5, to get things started. Three consecutive service aces by Kyla Farnan helped the Purple Knights take a commanding lead.
- Lacerda and Pila answered for Saint Anselm to keep the set within a couple of points, but a pair of service aces by the Hawks allowed the Purple Knights to extend their lead once again.
- The hosts tried to cut into the lead with a 6-2 run to bring the set back to within two points after Kocak and Lacerda combined for three kills, but Saint Michael's closed in on the set victory after Mahili McKay and Settles ripped off six kills as a tandem.
- Pila helped the Hawks go on a late run with consecutive service aces, but a final swing from Settles finished the fourth set with the Purple Knights on top, 25-21.
- The start of the first-to-15, winner-take-all fifth set was very close from the start. Frano and Kocak tallied a kill apiece for Saint Anselm, but Saint Michael's stayed right with them and kept the score even at 8-8.
- The Purple Knights then went on a 3-0 run to push their lead to 11-8 and force a timeout by the Hawks with the finish line in sight.
- Saint Anselm came out of the break on a mission, ending the match on an 8-3 run. Kills from Frano and Pila helped tie the score at 11-11, but Kocak caught fire late and ended the match with five straight points courtesy of four kills and a block to give the Hawks the fifth set victory, 16-14.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Kocak led the offensive effort for Saint Anselm by tallying a career-high 15 kills and a career-high eight blocks to go along with a pair of digs.
- Frano added 18 kills of her own in addition to two service aces, two blocks, and nine digs.
- Lacerda tallied a career-high 15 kills on the day with two blocks and five digs.
- Defensively, Burke led the way with 17 digs and a service ace. On the passing front, Macalaguim had a career-high 53 assists to go with three kills, two service aces, and a pair of blocks.
- As a team, the Hawks tallied 63 kills, 60 assists, 62 digs, 16 blocks, and seven service aces.
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