Women's Volleyball Rolling After Two Wins Sunday Afternoon, Including Five-Set Thriller
Women's Volleyball Rolling After Two Wins Sunday Afternoon, Including Five-Set Thriller
Links: Box Score (Georgian Court) | Box Score (St. Anselm)
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team kept the momentum going by defeating Georgian Court and St. Anselm today to extend their winning streak to four matches.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3 | Georgian Court 0
Score: Merrimack 3 | St. Anselm 2
Records: Merrimack (6-2) | Georgian Court (3-8) | St. Anselm (6-5)
Location: Stoutenburgh Gymnasium | Manchester, N.H.
What They Said
Head Coach TJ Hajjar: "The team faced some tough adversity today. I was extremely impressed that they found a way to pull out two big wins today."
How It Happened
The Warriors got off to a strong start in a day that saw them play for the first time in over one week. The Navy and Gold swept Georgian Court 3-0 after set scores of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-17. Last season Georgian Court won the CACC and advanced to the Division II NCAA Tournament.
Senior Aliya Rakhmetova (Arlington, Va.) had one of her strongest games of the season. She accounted for seven kills, five service aces and three block assists for a well-rounded effort.
Known for her defensive prowess , Corrine Gosselin (Lawrence, Mass.) displayed some offensive consistency. The senior finished with six kills and zero errors on ten total attacks for a .600 attack percentage.
The match against St. Anselm proved to be more difficult for Merrimack.
The Warriors took the first set 25-21, but faced some adversity because the Hawks would take the next two sets 25-23 and 25-21. The Navy and Gold bounced back in a big way, winning the fourth and fifth sets 25-16 and 15-8 for a come-from-behind victory.
After struggling in the first match, Stephanie Sheehan (Smithtown, N.Y.) finished with a match-high 21 kills.
Four players finished with double-digit digs for the Warriors, including Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) who had 11 digs to go along with 13 kills.
The matchup with the Hawks was considered a non-conference affair. The two teams will meet in North Andover for a Northeast-10 contest on Sept. 30.
Inside The Numbers
- The Navy and Gold won in straight sets against Georgian Court despite having an attack percentage below .200 as a team in all three sets.
- Sophomore Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.), the reigning NE-10 Setter of the Week, finished with a combined 72 assists on the day.
- Junior captain Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) compiled 35 digs over the two matches from the libero position.
- The Warriors have a winning streak of at least four matches for the second consecutive season. The last time Merrimack had a winning streak of at least five matches was in 2010 when the Warriors rattled off seven consecutive victories.
- This win marks the first five-set victory of the season for the Navy and Gold.
Up Next
The Warriors return home on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. when they begin NE-10 play against Southern Connecticut State University.
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