NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (September 12, 2018) – Junior Taleen Mitchell and freshman Corinne Dougherty teamed for 23 kills from the outside as the Stevens Institute of Technology Women's Volleyball team defeated SUNY New Paltz 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-15, 25-22) Wednesday in a non-conference match at the Hawk Center.
Junior Sara Hain recorded seven kills and classmate Shelby Stewart added eight for the Ducks, who won their sixth straight to improve to 6-3. Stevens has won each of the last three meetings between the programs.
Madison Van Pelt recorded a match-high 14 kills and Taylor Cimillo registered a double-double for the Hawks, who fell to 6-3. The loss ended New Paltz's five-match winning streak.
"Tonight was a total team effort," said second-year head coach
Annie McShea. We had multiple players contributing offensively and our defense worked hard against a fast New Paltz team."
"We're continuing to learn about our team as the season progresses," McShea continued. "It feels good to get a road win against a solid team after such a tough weekend."
A balanced match through the opening set, Stevens created separation in the third set, holding New Paltz to its lowest attack percentage of the match (-.148). The Hawks' hit just .047 for the match, marking the team's second-lowest output of the season.
Freshman Elizabeth Chu led the team with 17 digs and continues to lead the Empire 8 Conference with 5.21 digs per set. Offensively, six different players recorded at least one kill and setters Brianna Perez and Julie Greco combined for 34 assists.
The opening set saw New Paltz take early control as the teams looked to established an offensive flow. The hosting Hawks opened as much as five-point lead in the frame after a Kerri Neville kill, but the resilient Ducks battled back with a six-point run, taking advantage of five New Paltz errors to grab a lead. A Cimillo ace reclaimed the lead for New Paltz, but the Ducks scored five of the final six points to claim the opening set. Three different players notched kills during the set-clinching sequence and Mitchell set down each of the two final points to give Stevens the lead.
The second set saw the teams again trade the opening series of points before Dougherty and Mitchell paired for three kills to give Stevens an 11-10 lead. Another Mitchell kill and a Cimillo error pushed the lead to four, however the Hawks went on a 7-2 run to tie the set at 20 after a Haley Timarky ace. Sophomore Jillian Roumbanis served an ace of her own to bring the Ducks to set point, but New Paltz scored the next six points to even the match. Neville keyed the stretch with a pair of blocks and Julie Greenspan set down a pair of kills.
Stevens turned on the pressure in the third set, using a Stewart block and a Mitchell kill to open a 3-0 lead. Another three-point swing pushed the lead to 7-2 and the Ducks never relinquished the lead in cruising to a 10-point win in the frame.
The final set saw New Paltz jump out to an early 3-0 lead. The Ducks rallied for four straight points to draw even at nine with kills from Hain and Dougherty surrounding a pair of Madison Van Pelt attack errors. The teams continued to exchange points and alternate brief scoring runs before the Ducks ran off six straight points after a timeout to grab a 23-20 lead. Stewart began the run with a kill off a Greco set and Mitchell punctuated the run with a service ace into an open part of the court.
Following a New Paltz timeout, Dougherty pushed down a Greco set to bring the Ducks to match point and a setting error closed out the match.
Up Next: Stevens heads to upstate New York for the Golden Knight Invitational, hosted by Clarkson University. The Ducks will take on hosting Clarkson and Bridgeport on Saturday and round out the weekend with a road match against SUNY Potsdam and a neutral-match against Susquehanna.
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise