MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's volleyball team cruised to a straight-set victory over visiting Southern Connecticut State University on Friday, posting a season-high 19 service aces en route to the win.
Score: Saint Anselm 3, Southern Conn. St. 0
Records: Saint Anselm (9-15, 3-7 NE10); Southern Conn. St. (4-21, 2-8 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Friday, November 15, 2024
Attendance: 210
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm opened the match with a 5-0 scoring run, fueled by two service aces from junior Abigail Macalaguim (Chula Vista, Calif.). The Hawks also capitalized on a bad set by the Owls and an attacking error.
- Leading 13-11, the Hawks scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a commanding 23-13 lead. Six of those 10 points came on kills, with sophomore Hollyn Frano (Cave Creek, Ariz.) adding a service ace during that stretch.
- Graduate student Jada Burdier (Haverhill, Mass.) ended the first set with a service ace, giving Saint Anselm a 25-13 win in the opener.
- Trailing 21-20 in the second set, the Hawks responded with five of the next six points to capture a 25-22 victory. Sophomore Miia Dembski (Buffalo, N.Y.) closed out the set with back-to-back kills for Saint Anselm.
- Down 6-4 in the third set, the Hawks went on a 12-point run, including three consecutive service aces by Burdier, to seal the match. The Hawks tallied nine service aces in the final set alone.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The 19 service aces in a three-set match are the second-most in program history, trailing only the 21 aces recorded against Molloy on October 19, 2002.
- In her final collegiate match, Burdier led the team with seven aces.
- Frano led the Hawks offensively with 11 kills on 29 swings, hitting .276, and also contributed three service aces, alongside sophomore Sam Pila (Melbourne, Australia).
- Frano averaged 3.62 kills per set in 2024, the second-best figure in single-season program history.
- Frano also finished with 57 service aces and 333 kills, ranking eighth in both metrics across single-season team history.
- Pila produced a team-leading three solo blocks in the match.
- Macalaguim posted a .500 hitting percentage, recording six kills on 10 attempts, while adding 24 assists and three service aces.
- Sophomore Madeline Burke (Lake George, N.Y.) posted a team-high 11 digs and added two service aces.