Melanie Volk poured in 16 kills and 13 digs in the Ducks' 3-1 win over Eastern.

NEW YORK, N.Y. (October 6, 2006) – Sophomore outside hitter Melanie Volk (Thompson Station, Tenn.) totaled 27 kills and 28 digs as the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team split a pair of matches on Friday during the 2006 New York University Violet Classic at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in New York, N.Y.  The Ducks opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Eastern University then suffered a tough 3-1 loss in a tightly-contested match against NYU, which entered the contest ranked No. 15 in the nation in the latest CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Poll.

In a 30-15, 30-27, 27-30, 30-26 win over Eastern (12-8), Volk registered 16 kills and 13 digs.  Junior outside hitter Dawn Herring (Prince Frederick, Md.) collected 13 kills and 16 digs.  Sophomore setter/right-side hitter Melissa Rhode (New Orleans, La.) added nine kills and 18 digs.  Sophomore middle blocker Summer Hamilton (San Diego, Calif.) finished with nine kills and two blocks.  Senior setter Micki Biltz (Lakewood, Ohio) accumulated 50 assists and 13 digs, while senior outside hitter/libero Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla.) had 32 digs.

Trailing 29-28 in the first game against NYU (20-3), Stevens was unable to take advantage of ball in transition as the Violets pulled out the two-point win.  After losing the second game 30-22, the Ducks bounced back with a 30-25 win in the third game.  Leading 23-22 in the fourth game, NYU closed out the match with a crucial 7-1 run to claim the 30-23 victory.

Volk posted a double-double (11 kills, 15 digs) for Stevens.  Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Gardner (Penfield, N.Y.) collected 11 kills and three blocks.  Herring had 12 kills and 16 digs, while Hamilton picked up nine kills and three blocks.  Rhode added 11 digs and five kills.  Biltz finished with 37 assists.  Ostroff chipped in with 17 digs.

With its loss to NYU, Stevens had its 10-match win streak come to an end.  The Ducks currently stand at 17-4 on the year, but three of their four losses have come to the Violets.  The only other setback for Stevens was a 3-1 loss to SUNY Cortland in the championship match of the Red Dragon Classic on September 2.

The Ducks will continue play at the NYU Violet Classic on Saturday as they take on City College of New York at 10 a.m. and St. John Fisher College at 2 p.m.