Jessica Gardner came up big for the Ducks as Stevens won three matches on Saturday. |
HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 28, 2006) – Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Gardner (Penfield, N.Y.) hit .352 with 26 kills and seven errors in 54 total attempts as the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team won three matches on Saturday at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. With the wins, the Ducks improved to 28-5 on the year.
In the morning, Stevens posted a 30-21, 21-30, 30-27, 30-26 victory over local rival New Jersey City University (29-7), which entered the match ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region. Sophomore setter/right-side hitter Melissa Rhode (New Orleans, La.) recorded a double-double (13 kills, 13 digs) against the Gothic Knights. Sophomore middle blocker Summer Hamilton (San Diego, Calif.) had 12 kills. Gardner finished with 12 kills and three service aces. Junior outside hitter Dawn Herring (Prince Frederick, Md.) collected 17 digs and nine kills. Senior setter Micki Biltz (Lakewood, Ohio) posted 54 assists, five digs and three kills. Sophomore outside hitter Melanie Volk (Thompson Station, Tenn.) added 11 digs, nine kills and two service aces. Senior outside hitter/libero Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla.) recorded 15 digs.
In the Ducks’ second match of the day, Stevens claimed a 30-17, 30-18, 27-30, 30-18 victory over the City College of New York as Herring collected 13 digs and eight kills. Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Petrocelli (Norwood, N.J.) came off the bench to post seven kills, three digs and two service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Bethany Rankie (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) had six kills and two blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Alexa Bianchi (West Caldwell, N.J.) chipped in with six kills, three digs and two service aces. Junior right-side hitter JoAnne Pojuner (Princeton Junction, N.J.) finished with five kills and five digs. Freshman outside hitter Laura Johnson (Middletown, N.Y.) tallied five digs and four kills as Stevens posted its second win of the season against the Beavers (8-18).
The Ducks wrapped up the day with a three-game victory (30-20, 30-22, 30-21) over SUNY New Paltz, which entered the match ranked No. 6 in the NCAA New York Region. The win was the third of the season for the Ducks against the Hawks, who fell to 24-10 with the loss.
In that match, Ostroff had 23 digs. Biltz posted 47 assists, seven digs and three kills. Gardner added 12 kills, four blocks, three digs and two service aces. Hamilton posted 11 kills, while Herring finished with 13 kills and nine digs. Rhode chipped in with nine kills and six digs.
Stevens has now won four straight matches and 11 of its last 12 overall. The Ducks have also captured 21 of their last 23 matches. On Wednesday, Stevens will close out the regular season at home against St. Joseph’s College at 7 p.m. That match will be carried live at www.duckcast.com. The Ducks have also earned the No. 1 seed for the Skyline Conference Tournament and will host the semifinals and finals on Saturday, November 4 at Canavan Arena.
