BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Saint Anselm College women's volleyball improved to 4-2 on the season after defeating Emory & Henry University, 3-2, before besting the host King University, 3-0, at the King Student Center Complex on the second and final day of the King Classic on Saturday.
Saint Anselm 3, Emory & Henry 1 (14-25, 25-23, 25-21, 26-24)
Highlights
- Saint Anselm improves to 1-0 all-time against Emory & Henry in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
- Senior Sam Pila posted her third double-double of the season, posting 11 kills with 12 digs, along with three service aces and two assists for 14 points to lead the Hawks.
- Sophomore Mckenna O'Connell recorded her second double-double of the season with a game-high 36 assists and 13 digs to go with five kills, one ace, and one block assists for 6.5 points and a .417 hitting percentage.
- Senior Madeline Burke led the team defensively with 20 digs to go with a pair of assists and a kill.
- Sophomore Etta Rocco also had a strong performance with three solo blocks and a block assist, with nine kills, one assist and one dig for 12.5 points.
How it Happened
SET 1 | Emory & Henry started strong, capitalizing on four attack errors by the Hawks to build a 12-4 edge. The Wasps pulled away early and never looked back, cruising to a 25-14 win in the first set.
SET 2 | The Hawks opened with a quick 5-1 advantage in the second, but the Wasps retaliated to retake the lead with a 10-2 run, making the score 11-7. The next six scores came from Saint Anselm to make it 13-11 as the score see-sawed for the remainder of the set. After falling behind 23-22, the final three points went to the Hawks thanks to a pair of attack errors and a kill from Rocco that tied up the match 1-1.
SET 3 | Saint Anselm led for the early portion of the third set, but Emory & Henry continued to battle back, using four straight scores to make it an 11-10 lead for the Wasps. The next four points came off three kills and an ace for the Hawks as they regained the lead 14-11, but once again, the Wasps rallied using a 6-1 run to take a 20-18 edge late. Pila tallied three kills during a 7-1 run for the Hawks that gave them a 25-21 set win to take a 2-1 match lead.
SET 4 | Four of the first five points in the fourth went to Saint Anselm, but the Wasps took their first lead of the set, 11-9, after an ace and three errors by the Hawks. A quick run by Saint Anselm put the Hawks back in front, 15-14, but Emory & Henry rattled off five straight scores to build their largest lead of the frame, 19-15. The Hawks closed out the match strong, and an ace from Pila gave the Hawks the win, 26-24, over the Wasps in four sets.
Saint Anselm 3, King (Tenn.) 0 (25-21, 27-25, 27-25)
Highlights
- Saint Anselm improves to 1-0 all-time against King University in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
- Pila tallied her third consecutive double-double, her fourth of the season, leading the team defensively with 15 digs while also leading the Hawks with 10 kills and 11 points on a .250 hitting percentage. Pila also had an ace and an assist.
- O'Connell also had another double-double-her third on the year, posting another errorless game with 26 assists, 12 digs, and three kills, along with two block assists for four points.
- Junior Taylor Lacerda rattled off nine kills while sophomore Peyton Elward posted six kills with a .357 attack percentage, adding a solo block, two block assists, and an ace for nine points.
How it Happened
SET 1 | After seven lead changes early in the first set, the Hawks settled in as Rocco led the team with three kills to build a two-point lead, 16-14. Lacerda and Elward kept Saint Anselm's momentum rolling, and the Hawks led the rest of the way, capped off by a kill from Pila to win the frame, 25-21.
SET 2 | It was all Saint Anselm early in the second, as the Hawks led 8-2, and eventually led by as much as seven, 11-4, with eight of those points coming off attack errors by the Tornados. King hung around, clawing its way back within one point, 18-17, eventually taking its first lead of the frame, 25-24, in a closely contested battle. The final three scores went to the Hawks as they closed out the set win, 27-25.
SET 3 | Despite their being six ties in the third set, the Hawks led for a majority of the frame, with Pila getting the Hawks off to a strong start sparked by three consecutive kills from the senior right-side hitter that gave Saint Anselm a 14-9 lead. Pila finished the frame with seven kills and Lacerda posted four, including the final kill that have the Hawks a 27-25 set win to sweep the Tornados in three sets.
Up Next
Saint Anselm women's volleyball (4-2, 0-0 NE10) travels to Newark, Del. for the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Wilmington University at the WU Athletics Complex, with play beginning on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11:00 a.m., the first of four matches next weekend.
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