NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's volleyball team split in their first tri-match of the season.
The Basics
(Match 1)
Score: Mount Saint Mary College 1, Albertus Magnus 3
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (0-1, 0-0 Skyline) | Albertus Magnus (1-0, 0-0)
(Match 2)
Score: Mount Saint Mary College 3, Saint Elizabeth 1
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (1-1, 0-0 Skyline) | Saint Elizabeth (0-1, 0-0)
Rapid Recap
(Match 1)
The Knights did not graduate a single player from last year's squad that made the Skyline Conference Playoffs. They looked to get off to a hot start against Albertus Magnus as freshman middle blocker
Kaitlin Dillon scored the first point of the season for the Mount. The first set was tight, as both teams traded points and could not pull away from one another. All-Conference outside hitters
Jonaiya Williams and
Julianna Simone had great days, both offensively and defensively. Late in the set, Mount Saint Mary held a 15-14 lead, then proceeded to score 4 straight, including kills from Simone and
Brooke Lavelle. Williams would ace the final point of the set 25-22 as the Falcons attempted a late comeback, but came up short.
Set two would be another nail-biter as Albertus Magnus jumped out to an early 7-4 lead. The Knights responded with a 7-1 run thanks to some great services by
Jaylyn Knight to put the Mount up 11-8. Just like the first set, the lead flip-flopped back and forth as neither team led by more than 3 points. A
Kaitlin Dillon kill, followed by a
Mackenzie Warmoth kill, then an
Erin Lema ace, put the Knights up 18-16 late in the set. The Falcons regained the lead, but Mount Saint Mary fought hard to force a win by two scenario. Two straight points from Albertus Magnus secured them the second set 27-25 to make the match 1-1.
The Knights opened up strong in a pivotal third set with points from
Sofia Fredericks and
Jonaiya Williams, as we were in for another close one. Mount Saint Mary stumbled halfway through the set, giving the Falcons an 18-13 lead, the largest deficit in any set up to this point.
Julianna Simone came up with a couple of key kills, but the Knights were unable to get into a groove. Albertus Magnus would take the third set 25-18 and take a 2-1 lead.
The Mount needed a big response in the next set as
Aubriana Boyce started off with two aces, and sophomore
Emily Hadden got a kill to put them up 5-2 early on. The Knights maintained a small lead until a big splash from the Falcons put them in a hole. A 10-1 run from Albertus Magnus gave them an 18-13 lead, and Mount Saint Mary was unable to respond. Down 22-14, the Mount caught a spark with a combined 5 kills from Simone, Williams, Lavelle, and
Vanessa Seymour to cut their deficit to 23-19. The rally stopped there, though, as Albertus Magnus won the set 25-19 and the match 3-1.
(Match 2)
The Knights didn't get much rest as they jumped straight into their second match against Saint Elizabeth, but they still started off strong with a couple of aces from
Sofia Fredericks to put them up 5-1. The Eagles answered with a 9-2 run to take a 13-9 lead, and continued to build off of that to go up 18-12 late in the set. The Knights rallied out of a timeout to score 6 straight, including 2 aces from
Jonaiya Williams, and kills from
Ava DiScala and
Kaitlin Dillon to tie things up 18-18. Mount Saint Mary took the lead and was at set point 24-22, but was unable to take advantage. Saint Elizabeth forced a win by two scenario, which favored them and their fresh legs. The Eagles would take the first set 30-28 as the Knights let it slip away.
Mount Saint Mary came out with a vengeance in the second set, jumping out to another early lead 8-2, with a couple of aces from
Jaylyn Knight. The Mount did not squander their lead and kept a comfortable cushion for a majority of the set. Freshman
Kaitlin Dillon stepped up big for the Mount, helping the team win the second set 25-19 to tie the match up 1-1.
The Knights started off the set with yet another lead, 7-2, as
Jonaiya Williams continued with her usual dominance. The Eagles fought back to make it a close game, but the Mount never squandered their lead. A few errors late in the set from Saint Elizabeth helped the Knights out, but Mount Saint Mary played a clean game at the end of the set, as
Brooke Lavelle secured the set 26-24 with a kill.
Once again, Mount Saint Mary took an early lead 10-4, with some great services from
Ava Robles that included 2 aces. The Knights caught a rhythm after a poor end to the first set, showing what this team is capable of.
Kaitlin Dillon and
Ava DiScala had absurd .529 and .455 hitting percentages this match, making the most out of every one of their opportunities. The Knights closed out the 4th and final set in dominant fashion, 25-1,6 to win the match 3-1.
Notes and Numbers
(Match 1)
(Match 2)
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