GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Saint Anselm College women's volleyball team defeated Young Harris College in its opening match of the Redderson Invitational hosted by Lander University, 3-2, at Finis Horne Arena, improving to 2-1 on the young season. In their second match of the day, the Hawks dropped a non-conference matchup to Lander, 3-0.
 
Match 1: Saint Anselm 3, Young Harris 2 (25–18, 25–20, 22–25, 23–25, 15–8)
 
Highlights

• Freshman Mckenna O'Connell ran the offense with 36 assists and chipped in 12 digs, posting her third consecutive double-double to begin her career for the Hawks. She also notched three kills with zero attacking errors, one service ace, and one block assist for 4.5 points.
• Junior Hollyn Frano led the Hawks with 22 points, 15 kills on a .297 hit percentage, and a team-high seven service aces, providing a big chunk of Saint Anselm's offense and serve-pressure. Frano also tallied a double-double with 10 digs on the defensive end.
• Freshman Taylor Lacerda recorded a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs, plus several key service points that swung momentum in Saint Anselm's favor.  Her 10 kills, five service aces, and one solo block gave her 16 points.
• Junior libero Madeline Burke finished with a match-high 20 digs, anchoring the back line to go with four assists and two aces.
• Freshman Etta Rocco paced Saint Anselm's block effort with three blocks.
• The Hawks finished with five blocks and an impressive 21 aces in the match. Saint Anselm also recorded 50 kills, 47 assists, and 72 digs.
• Freshman Peyton Elward had seven kills, a .412 hit percentage, three service aces, and an assist en route to 10 points.

SET 1 | Young Harris jumped out to a 3-1 edge early, but Saint Anselm answered with a quick run to take a 4-3 lead. The Hawks later ripped off a 4-0 surge that pushed them in front, 16–11. Young Harris answered with three straight scores but Saint Anselm immediately countered with three of its own to make it 19-14. The Hawks put the set away with another 3-point swing to get to 24-17 and finished the frame 25-18 on a Young Harris service error.
 
SET 2 | After an early exchange, Young Harris strung together a 4-0 run to open a 6–2 lead, but Saint Anselm swiftly evened it with a 4-0 response. The Hawks would turn an 8-10 deficit into a 14-10 advantage thanks to a 6-0 run. The Mountain Lions cut it to 14–13 with a short rally, but Saint Anselm rebuilt a multiple-point lead. Young Harris closed to 21-20 late but the Hawks closed the set on a 4-0 run, the last point coming on a Lacerda service ace, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
SET 3 | Young Harris used multiple big stretches in this frame (including an early 5-0 run and another mid-set 5-0 spurt) to build separation. Saint Anselm mounted a comeback with a 9-1 scoring outburst, but Young Harris answered with a decisive late push and closed out the set 25-22 on a kill to seal the frame.
 
SET 4 | A tightly contested set throughout, neither team held more than a three-point lead for long. Young Harris manufactured several three-point stretches in the mid-to-late stages and withstood a late 4-0 run from Saint Anselm, as the Mountain Lions grabbed the last few points and closed the fourth set, 25–23, to force a fifth.
 
SET 5 | Saint Anselm exploded in the tiebreaker, opening with a 6-0 run and building on that control with additional 3- and 4-point stretches. Young Harris did mount a five-point run later to get within reach, but the Hawks closed it out 15–8, as the match clincher came on an Elward kill.

Match 2: Lander 3, Saint Anselm 0 (19–25, 14–25, 11–25)
 
Highlights

• Freshman setter McKenna O'Connell continued to quarterback the Hawks' offense, handing out a team-high 22 assists while also contributing seven digs.

• Junior libero Madeline Burke anchored the Saint Anselm defense, finishing with a match-high 14 digs to go along with two service aces.

• Freshman Peyton Elward provided the most efficient offense for the Hawks, registering a team-best nine kills on a blistering .571 hitting percentage.

SET 1 | Lander grabbed control early, stringing together a run to build a 13–6 advantage midway through the frame. Saint Anselm chipped away and cut the deficit to 14–18 on kills from Peyton Elward and steady back-row play, but the Bearcats responded with another push to stretch it to 20–15. The Hawks pulled within four late, yet Lander held its ground and secured the opener, 25–19.
 
SET 2 | The second set belonged to Lander from the start. After a brief exchange, the Bearcats rolled off points in bunches to open a 14–6 lead and later extended the margin to double digits at 22–12. Saint Anselm managed a few side-outs down the stretch, but Lander maintained its rhythm and finished the frame with a 25–14 win to double its match advantage.
 
SET 3 | Saint Anselm grabbed the first two points of the third, but Lander quickly seized momentum and never looked back. The Bearcats built an 18–5 cushion behind a dominant 9–1 surge in the middle stages. The Hawks found a few late kills but could not slow the Bearcats' offense, as Lander closed the match with a 25–11 decision.
 
Up Next
Saint Anselm women's volleyball (2-2, 0-0 NE10) will take on Winston-Salem State (1-2, 0-0 CIAA) tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in its third match of the Redderson Invitational in Greenwood, S.C at Finis Horne Arena before closing out their weekend against Chowan (1-5, 0-0 CC) at 3 p.m. 

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