Jessica Gardner helped lead Stevens to a pair of victories on Saturday with a total of 17 kills in two matches.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (September 23, 2006) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team capped a perfect 4-0 showing at the 2006 Carnegie Mellon Crossover with a pair of victories on Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pa.  The Ducks opened the day with a three-game sweep of John Carroll University and then handed host Carnegie Mellon University its first loss of the tournament.

In its first match of the day, Stevens (14-3) rolled to a 30-27, 30-21, 30-28 victory over John Carroll (6-12) as senior setter Micki Biltz (Lakewood, Ohio) picked up 34 assists and five service aces.  Senior outside hitter/libero Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla.) finished with 19 digs, while junior outside hitter Dawn Herring (Prince Frederick, Md.) collected 14 kills and eight digs.  Sophomore middle blockers Jessica Gardner (Penfield, N.Y.) and Summer Hamilton (San Diego, Calif.) had 10 kills and four blocks, respectively.  Sophomore setter/right-side hitter Melissa Rhode (New Orleans, La.) chipped in with six kills and two blocks.  Sophomore outside hitter Melanie Volk (Thompson Station, Tenn.) registered six kills and three blocks.

In the afternoon, the Ducks captured a 30-25, 28-30, 30-26, 32-30 win over Carnegie Mellon (7-8), which had posted three straight 3-0 victories on its home floor during the crossover tournament prior to the loss to Stevens.  Volk led the way with 18 kills and 15 digs.  Herring posted 13 kills and 19 digs.  Rhode had 12 kills, 21 digs and two blocks.  Biltz finished with 55 assists and 11 digs.  Ostroff tallied a team-high 28 digs.  Hamilton registered 14 kills and five blocks, while Gardner totaled seven kills and four blocks.

Stevens returns to action on Friday when it hosts the College of Mount Saint Vincent in a Skyline Conference match at Canavan Arena at 7 p.m.  That contest will be available via a live video webcast at www.duckcast.com.