MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's volleyball team clinched a spot in the Northeast 10 Conference Championship tournament with a 3-1 win over Saint Michael's College Tuesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium, as the Hawks celebrated senior night in their final home match of the season.
Highlights
- Saint Anselm improves to 29-17 all-time against Saint Michael's with a two-match win streak over the Purple Knights.
- All six seniors contributed impressive performances for the Hawks in the win as Saint Anselm totaled 56 kills with a .311 attack percentage and a 71-54 advantage in digs.
- Saint Anselm clinches its spot in the NE10 Championship Tournament with Tuesday night's win, it's third trip in the last four years and second consecutive under head coach Anna Platek.
- Senior Hollyn Frano put up season-high marks across the board as she led the team with 17 kills, 10 digs, four assists, one ace, and a .378 attack percentage. Frano also went a perfect seven-for-seven on receptions.
- Classmate Sam Pila totaled 14.5 points with 13 kills, 12 digs, an ace, a block assist, and 28 receptions, while Melis Kocak had season-highs of 10 kills, nine digs, two aces, and a solo block good for 13 points in the win.
- Senior Kaitlin McDonough tallied career-high marks of six kills, seven points, one dig, and two block assists with a .200 hit percentage.
- Senior Madeline Burke matched Pila's team-high mark of 12 digs to go with seven assists and 11 receptions.
- Sophomores Mckenna O'Connell and Veronica Gomez also contributed with O'Connell dishing out 38 assists with eight digs, six kills, and four block assists for eight points while Gomez had nine digs and 14 receptions in the back row.
How it Happened
SET 1 | Saint Anselm opened the match with a strong first-set performance, recording 20 kills while hitting .378. Frano led the early attack with nine kills in the frame, while Pila added five. The Hawks built a lead and maintained control through the closing points to take the opening set, 25-20.
SET 2 | The Hawks carried that momentum into the second set, hitting .344 with 14 kills. Kocak and Pila each contributed two kills to the attack, while the Saint Anselm defense limited Saint Michael's to a .119 hitting percentage. The Hawks pulled away to claim the second set, 25-18, and move within one set of the match.
SET 3 | Saint Michael's responded in the third, taking a 25-20 decision to extend the match. The Purple Knights recorded 13 kills in the set, while Saint Anselm was held to nine.
SET 4 | Saint Anselm answered emphatically in the fourth set. The Hawks posted 13 kills and hit .323, while holding Saint Michael's to seven kills and a .125 hitting percentage. Pila and Kocak continued to lead the attack with four kills each in the final set, while contributions from across the senior class helped the Hawks close out the 25-14 set victory and secure the 3-1 match win.
Up Next
Saint Anselm women's volleyball (13-9, 3-5 NE10) closes out its regular season slate in Pleasantville, N.Y. against Pace University (10-12, 4-4 NE10) in an NE10 matchup at the Goldstein Center on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
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