Stevens Runs Volleyball Winning Streak to 12 Matches
HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 10, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team upped its win-streak to 12-matches with a 3-0 (25-3, 25-12, 25-17) victory over John Jay College, a 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-15) win over St. Lawrence University, and a 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-12) sweep of the College of Mount St. Vincent at the Stevens Quad in Hoboken, N.J. With the wins the Ducks improved to 24-4 overall on the season. Stevens returns to action on October 22-23 in Ithaca, N.Y. for the second Empire 8 Crossover Weekend.
Stevens 3, John Jay 0 (25-3, 25-12, 25-17)
The Ducks raced out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, capped off by a Maggie Kowalska kill that forced a Bloodhounds’ timeout. Stevens kept things rolling coming out of the break, reeling off six-consecutive points to take a 13-2 lead. Back-to-back John Jay miscues put the Ducks up 15-3 before a Brittany Conroy service ace and Chrissy Dickinson spike upped the margin to 14, forcing another Bloodhounds’ stoppage.
Junior Amethyst Holder and Dickinson tallied back-to-back kills to make it 21-3 before another Conroy ace helped Stevens take a 19-point advantage which they would not relinquish, taking the first frame, 25-3.
With the second set knotted at 2-2 in the early going, Holder found a hole in the John Jay defense, hammering home a kill to give Stevens the edge. With the set again tied at seven, sophomore Michelle Plotzker tipped the ball over the Bloodhounds’ frontline before Holder notched another spike to kick-start a 4-0 Ducks’ run that put Stevens’ up 11-7.
Conroy would notch another ace to put Stevens up 15-9 before back-to-back Holder kills coupled with a John Jay error increased the Ducks’ lead to nine. Another Bloodhounds error followed by a Conroy service ace and Kate Janes kill made it 21-10 as the Ducks outscored John Jay 4-2 down the stretch to take a 2-0 match advantage.
Stevens took a 4-0 lead to begin the first set before a Ducks’ service error spurred a 3-0 Bloodhounds rally that trimmed the John Jay deficit to one. Ahead, 7-6, Stevens netted four-straight points to take a five-point edge, but the Bloodhounds responded with a 4-0 rally of their own to cut the Ducks’ lead to one. Undaunted, Stevens mounted another run, tallying six-consecutive points that led to a John Jay timeout.
Freshman outside hitter Mary Caulson put away a kill to make it 18-11 before a Bloodhounds error gave Stevens an eight-point cushion. John Jay would pull within five at 19-14, but another Caulson spike sparked a 6-3 Ducks’ run that sealed the set and match victory.
Holder led Stevens with 10 kills, while Caulson added five kills and three digs. Dickinson added four kills, while Conroy finished with five service aces and five digs. Freshman setter Samantha Gates chipped in with 15 assists.
Stevens 3, St. Lawrence 1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-15)
Down 4-3 early, Holder notched her first kill of the match to knot the set at four. The Saints responded by mounting a 9-3 run to take a 13-7 lead. Plotzker hammered home a cross-court kill to make it a five-point set before a Maggie Majcher spike and Kowalska kill pulled Stevens within three. Plotzker and Kowalska combined on a block to trim the deficit to two before a Plotzker tip made it 13-12.
With the set knotted at 15 Plotzker notched a service ace to give Stevens its first lead of the match. With the frame again tied at 18 the Ducks tallied two-straight points to go up 20-18. Deadlocked at 22, Majcher tipped the ball over the Saints’ frontline to give Stevens a slim edge, forcing a St. Lawrence timeout. Kowalska then gave the Ducks a two-point lead with a kill coming out of the break before a Plotzker block sealed Stevens’ set one victory.
Trailing 5-3 in the second set, Stevens recorded three-straight points capped off by a pair of Dickinson kills to take a 6-5 advantage. St. Lawrence responded with a 5-3 rally, taking a 10-8 lead before Plotzker momentarily quelled the Saints’ tide with a kill.
Behind 14-10, Kowalska snuck a kill just inside the line to trim the Ducks’ deficit to three before a St. Lawrence error made it 14-12. But the Saints again responded, this time with a 5-2 run, to take a 19-14 lead heading into a Ducks’ stoppage. Still up five at 24-17, St. Lawrence’s Liz Grogan (Crozet, Va.) put away the set-clinching kill to knot the match at one.
Hoping to score a pivotal third set victory, Stevens opened up an 8-3 lead. Up 12-6, the Ducks tallied back-to-back points to take an eight-point edge to force a St. Lawrence timeout. Senior setter Sara Budar notched a pair of service aces following the break to stake Stevens to a 10-point advantage, spurring a 3-1 Ducks’ run that resulted in a 17-6 lead.
Up 21-15 after a Dickinson kill, Majcher sent a spike down the line, putting Stevens up seven before a Saints’ error made it an eight-point set. Minutes later another Saints’ error made it 24-17 before Majcher again put away a kill to give Stevens a 2-1 match lead.
Continuing to apply much the pressure, Stevens raced out to a 9-2 lead in the fourth set. A Kowalska kill followed by a Dickinson tip gave the Ducks an eight-point advantage before a St. Lawrence kill broke Stevens’ serve. The Saints continued to fight back, pulling within four at 16-12, but two-straight Ducks’ points gave Stevens a six-point cushion.
A Kowalska kill would give Stevens a 19-14 lead before a Dickinson block upped the margin to six. A Saints’ error coupled with another Dickinson block up put the Ducks up 22-14 as Stevens outscored St. Lawrence, 7-1 down the stretch to seal their 11th-consecutive victory.
Kowalska hit .577 for the match, with 17 kills and four blocks, while Dickinson hit .409 with 12 kills. Majcher added 11 kills and 11 digs, while Budar dished out 34 assists. Senior libero Julia Reilly and Conroy collected 16 and 12 digs, respectively.
Stevens 3, Mount St. Vincent 0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-12)
After a 25-12 first set victory, Stevens took a 7-3 set two lead on a Gates service ace. The Ducks continued to go on the offensive, going up 14-5 on a Mikayla Floyd kill before a Conroy ace upped the margin to 10. The Dolphins would pull within six at 17-11 but a Mount St. Vincent service error coupled with back-to-back Plotzker aces pushed the Stevens lead back up to nine.
A Dickinson block followed by another Gates ace put the Ducks up 22-12 before Holder put away a kill to up the lead to 11. Gates then finished off the set with two-consecutive aces to stake Stevens to a 2-0 match lead.
Hoping to close out the match and complete the sweep, the Ducks raced out to an 8-4 lead in the third set. Mount St. Vincent responded by taking four of the sets next six points, trimming the margin to two, but the Ducks then reeled off five-straight points, capped off by another Gates ace, to take a 15-8 lead. Ahead 22-12, Caulson and Dickinson combined for the final three kills to seal the match victory.
Dickinson finished with 10 kills, while Budar and Gates combined for 28 assists. Majcher added seven kills and 11 digs, while Conroy finished with 10 digs and three service aces.