NCAA VOLLEYBALL: Monks Claw Past Bobcats in Five Sets

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College (22-4, 6-2 GNAC) outlasted Bates College (7-12, 3-6 NESCAC), 3-2 (25-11, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-12) in a non-conference women’s volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.
 
THE LEAD
The Monks seemed poised to sweep the Bobcats after breezing through the first set and posting a five-point win in the second, but the visitors clawed their way back into contention with three-point triumphs in the third and fourth sets, effectively forcing a deciding fifth set in the process.
 
The fifth frame was tightly contested, as neither team held more than a three-point advantage until the Monks, leading 11-9, rattled off four unanswered points to close out the set and the match.
 
NOTABLES – Saint Joseph’s

•       Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) tallied a match-high 14 kills along with a .237 attack rate (five errors in 38 attacks) and nine total blocks (six solo)

•       Junior outside hitter Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) chipped in with nine kills and 14 digs

•       Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added six kills and 13 digs

•       Senior middle blocker Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) produced six kills and four total blocks (one solo)

•       Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) notched 32 assists with a pair of kills, two aces and 10 digs

•       Senior defensive specialist Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) contributed 13 digs
 
NOTABLES – Bates

•       Junior outside hitter Chandler McGrath (Seal Beach, Calif.) registered 11 kills, four digs and a pair of block assists

•       Freshman middle hitter Claire Naughton (Darien, Conn.) recorded nine kills and two total blocks (one solo)

•       Senior libero Laryssa Schepel (Flemington, N.J.) tallied 27 digs and a pair of service aces

•       Junior setter Hannah Tardie (Orange, Calif.) posted 16 assists and eight digs

•       Sophomore setter Jacqueline Forney (Bloomington, Ind.) contributed nine assists and 10 digs

•       Senior middle hitter Mary Deneen (Windsor, Conn.) added four kills, three aces and four digs
 
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph’s held advantages in kills (42-32), attack rate (.125-negative .070), assists (37-28), digs (86-82) and total blocks (12-4) in the victory. Bates owned a 9-4 lead in service aces and a 171-152 cushion in attack attempts in a losing bid.
 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph’s improves to 5-21 since the start of the 1989 season versus Bates College and snaps a three-match losing streak at the hands of the Bobcats. Tonight’s win is the Monks’ third over the Bobcats since the 1998 campaign.
 
NEXT!
Perhaps the most important conference games of the season lie ahead for the Monks, who travel to Newton, Massachusetts Saturday to face Mount Ida College (4:00 PM) and Rivier University (6:00PM). Bates travels to Boston on Saturday for a non-conference tri-match with Framingham State University (1:00 PM) and Emerson College (3:00 PM).