HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 2, 2009) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team moved to 2-0 on the season following a pair of wins over Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham and Hunter College during the team's season opening tri-match. The Ducks edged out the Devils 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 15-11) in the first match of the day before downing the Hawks 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-18) in the nightcap.

Junior outside hitter Sarah Byrne paced the Stevens attack, registering 30 kills in two matches, while fellow junior outside hitter Maggie Majcher totaled 20 kills and 27 digs in the Ducks' wins. Newcomers Maggie Kowalska and Brittany Fuller also made their presence felt early, with Kowalska tallying 16 kills and Fuller amassing 15 blocks on the day. Junior setter Sara Budar collected 40 assists while directing the Stevens offense.

In the day's other match, FDU-Florham defeated Hunter, 3-1. The Devils took the first set 25-22 before falling in the second set 25-20. FDU-Florham would rebound in the third set with a 25-13 victory before closing out the Hawks with a 25-20 win in the fourth and final set.

The Ducks will travel to Haverford, Pa. for the Haverford Tournament on September 4 and 5 where they face Frostburg State University, Widener University, tournament host No. 24 Haverford College, and St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Stevens 3, FDU-Florham 2 (20-25, 25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 15-11)
After dropping the first set to FDU-Florham, 20-25, the Ducks rallied to win set two 25-23. Down 13-6 in the pivotal third set, the Ducks mounted a 9-2 run to knot the game at 15. The teams would exchange points the rest of the way before the Ducks managed to earn a 27-25 win to take a two sets to one lead.

The Devils would take an early 13-8 advantage in the fourth set before a 4-1 Ducks run pared the deficit to two. Down 24-21, the Ducks scored two straight points to cut the lead to one but the Devils would take the set 25-23 to force a fifth-set tiebreak. With the game knotted at eight, Stevens would rattle off three straight points to take a 11-8 lead and up 14-10, Byrne hammered home the game-winning kill to give the Ducks their first win of the season.

Byrne led the way with 20 kills, while Majcher added 14 kills and 17 digs. Kowalska, a freshman outside hitter, totaled 10 kills and six blocks in her first match as a member of the Ducks.

Budar tallied a team-high 26 assists, while junior Brittany Conroy added 15 assists. Junior libero Julia Reilly, who currently ranks eighth on Stevens' all-time digs chart, cracked the 1,000 dig plateau with her 15 th dig of the afternoon. The Oradell, N.J. native finished tied for the team lead in digs with 17, while Fuller finished with a team-high 11 blocks.

Stevens 3, Hunter 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-18)
After taking the first set of the evening's final tri-match against Hunter, 25-18, the Ducks found themselves trailing the Hawks 4-3 early in the second set, but a Byrne kill would tie the game at four, while starting a 13-4 Stevens run that gave the Ducks a 16-8 advantage.

The Hawks would mount a 5-1 run of their own to cut the lead to 20-15, but a Fuller kill would help spark a 5-0 Ducks' run to close out the set, giving Stevens a 25-15 win.

Down 10-9 in the third set the gritty Ducks  would once again rise to the challenge, reeling off six consecutive points to take a 15-10 lead. A kill by senior Laura Johnson would push the lead to 20-14 but a quick Hawks run would slice the lead down to three before Stevens closed the match out on a 5-1 run, taking the final set 25-18.

Byrne hit .400 for the match with 10 kills, while Majcher added 10 digs, six kills, and three blocks, while hitting .308. Kowalska continued her strong play, hitting .385 with six kills, while Fuller added six kills and four blocks.

Sophomore setter Trish DuFord added eight assists and three service aces, while Budar chipped in with 14 assists.