NEWBURGH, N.Y. – For the first time in program history, the Mount Saint Mary College volleyball team claimed the Skyline Conference regular season championship on Saturday in Newburgh. The Knights defeated the College of Mount Saint Vincent in straight sets before taking out SUNY College at Old Westbury in four sets to finish the regular season undefeated at 10-0 in conference play.
Against Mount Saint Vincent, the Knights jumped out to a quick two sets to none lead (25-15, 25-14) before closing the door in the third set with a 25-19 victory.
Freshman
Kaylene Pennings (Minisink, N.Y.) led the Mount with 13 kills on just 18 attempts. Sophomore
Mary Ann Raftery (Atlantic Beach, N.Y.) and junior
Teresa Sorrentino (Bellerose, N.Y.) each chipped in eight kills, while junior
Jacqueline Nadeau (Uniondale, N.Y.) added six kills.
Raftery also matched junior
Courtney Kenney (Hicksville, N.Y.) with a team-high 13 digs. Sophomore
Lauren Halverson (Patchogue, N.Y.) racked up 36 assists to go along with eight digs and a pair of aces.
The Knights also won the first two sets against Old Westbury (25-22, 25-14), but stumbled a bit in the third set and fell, 25-21. Unfazed by the loss of the set, the Mount rebounded nicely to close out the match in set four, 25-17.
Pennings was flawless in leading the Mount once again, this time tallying 15 kills on 21 attempts without an error. Sorrentino contributed nine kills and 11 digs, while senior
Elizabeth Douress (Rahway, N.J.) added seven kills and a pair of aces. The lone senior on the team, Douress was honored before the start of the match. She'll graduate as the Mount's all-time leader in sets played, consecutive matches, and blocks.
Halverson played another excellent match, totaling 29 assists, a team-high 17 digs, five aces, and two kills. Kenney also reached double figures in digs with 11.
The Knights close out the regular season with three non-conference matches in the next week. On Saturday, November 6, the Mount will host the semifinals and the championship match of the Skyline Conference tournament, during which an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be up for grabs.