NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's volleyball team makes program history with 15 straight set wins to open the year to advance to 5-0.
The Basics (Game 1)
Score: Mount Saint Mary College 3, CCNY 0
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (4-0, 0-0 Skyline) | CCNY (2-4, 0-0)
Rapid Recap
The Knights looked to continue their hot start to the season against the City College of New York in the first game of the Mount Saint Mary tri-match. Junior
Julianna Simone got the Mount started in the opening set with a pair of kills as the Knights jumped out to an 11-4 lead. The Beavers attempted to creep their way back into the set, but the Knights' offense proved too much for CCNY as Mount Saint Mary took the first set, 25-19.
Mount Saint Mary continued to find success from the outside, with Simone,
Emily Baron and
Nicolette Pirro combining for 24 kills in the match. Senior setter
Sofia Fredericks continued to provide a consistent presence in the Knights' offense, recording 20-plus assists in every match this season. The Mount got off to yet another quick start in the second set and never looked back. The Knights led by as many as eight points before taking the second set, 25-16.
Looking to complete the sweep, the Mount trailed for the first time all day early in the third set, but the deficit would not last long.
Emily Hadden sparked the Knights with a kill, and Mount Saint Mary responded with a 13-1 run, including nine unanswered points, to take a 16-5 lead. The Beavers battled back with a 7-1 run to cut into the deficit, but it was ultimately too late as the Knights closed out the set, 25-17. The sweep extended Mount Saint Mary's winning streak to four matches and gave the Knights their best start to a season since 2002.
Notes and Numbers
The Basics (Game 2)
Score: Mount Saint Mary College 3, WestConn 0
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (5-0, 0-0 Skyline) | WestConn (1-6, 0-0)
Rapid Recap
Mount Saint Mary took on Western Connecticut State in the final game of the tri-match, looking for not only its first-ever win over the Wolves, but its first-ever set win against WestConn. The Mount got off to a strong start with kills from
Julianna Simone and
Emily Baron, both assisted by
Sofia Fredericks, but the Wolves responded with seven unanswered points. A kill from
Emily Hadden and two aces from Simone brought the Knights right back into the set, giving the Mount an 8-7 lead. The opening set turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Mount Saint Mary leading by as many as five points late in the frame. Down 21-16, WestConn fought its way back and eventually took a 25-24 lead. Needing to win by two, the Knights once again came through in the clutch, getting kills from
Kaitlin Dillon and Simone to take the opening set, 27-25.
The second set was just as tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than two points until the Mount broke things open with a 7-1 run to take an 18-13 advantage. Simone and
Abigale Greenspan provided strong service runs to help fuel the Knights' surge. The Wolves answered with five straight points to even the score at 18-18, setting up another thrilling finish. Tied at 24-24, the Knights once again delivered when it mattered most, as a kill from Baron clinched the second set, 26-24.
The third set belonged to Mount Saint Mary, as the Knights trailed only after the opening point. Four straight kills from Dillon energized the Mount's offense as the Knights took control of the frame. WestConn was unable to string together more than three consecutive points, while Mount Saint Mary continued to build its lead. The Knights closed out the match with five straight points to take the third set, 25-15, and complete the 3-0 sweep. The victory gave Mount Saint Mary a program-record 15 straight set wins to open the season. The Knights will look to continue their momentum Tuesday against Lehman College.
Notes and Numbers
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