HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 1, 2011) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball swept Baruch College, 3-0, to get back on the winning track in their first match of the second day at the Ducks Invitational on Saturday morning in Canavan Arena, but lost to nationally-ranked No. 19 SUNY Cortland, 3-1, in the second match. After this weekend, the Ducks are now 11-12 this season.

In the three-set sweep of the Bearcats, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, junior Maggie Kowalska recorded a match-high 12 kills to go along with 10 digs. Kowalska also tallied four service aces.

Sophomore Ashley Castillo led the Ducks with 12 digs and dished out 14 assists, sharing time with fellow sophomore Samanatha Gates. Gates handed out 21 assists in the sweep and posted five digs, as well as two aces.

Stevens' sophomore Chrissy Dickinson registered a double-digit kill effort with 10 and also made six blocks. Fellow sophomore Mary Caulson chipped in seven kills, four digs and three blocks for the Ducks.

Senior Kate Janes helped the Ducks out with seven digs, three kills and two blocks, while freshmen Reanin Glah and Katie Hall combined for nine kills, five digs and five blocks. Glah also had two aces from the service line.

All three sets nearly followed the same pattern of both teams trading possession through the middle of each set. In each of the three set witnessed the score at 11-10, with Stevens coming out with the upper hand in two of those sets.

Stevens never trailed a set after the team reached 17 points, and after the Ducks reached 20, they never allowed the Bearcats to get within three points.

Against Cortland, the Ducks took the first set, 25-16, and never trailed in the set. Stevens jumped out to a 9-4 lead to force the Red Dragons to use a timeout. After play resumed, the Ducks grew their lead to 14-5, the largest of the set, before Cortland went on a 5-1 run to cut the contest to 15-10. The set was put out of reach after three consecutive points were scored by way of a Hall kill, Caulson ace and Kowalska block, to run the Ducks advantage up to 20-11.

In the 25-19 setback in set two, the Ducks once again jumped out to an early 4-2 lead before the set was tied two points later. From there, the set remained tied up until Cortland broke an 8-8 deadlock. The Red Dragons would keep the set in their favor another tie was forced by Stevens at 14, and again 17. The Ducks would then take the lead over, 18-17 and 19-18, but Cortland ended the set on a 7-0 run.

In set three, both teams were tied on 11 different occasions, with the last coming at 15. Stevens scored the previous point for its only lead of the set, 15-14. Cortland would go on to 4-0 spurt to post its largest lead of the set at the time, 18-15. Stevens brought it back to within one point, 21-20, but Cortland would keep the Ducks off the scoreboard for the remainder of the set.

In the fourth and final set, Stevens led for the majority of the time, but after Cortland burned a timeout down, 16-12, the momentum swung over to the Red Dragons and they ended the set and match on a 13-7 run.

Cortland was undefeated coming into today's matches, but would lose to No. 18 UMass-Boston in its first match of the day.

Kowalska led the Ducks with 16 kills and added 11 digs and three blocks.

Dickinson was right behind her with 13 kills and four blocks en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team. Janes hit an impressive .588 with 11 kills in 17 attempts and also recorded four blocks and four digs.

Caulson once against put together a solid effort with 13 digs, eight kills, two aces and two blocks.

Castillo and Gates shared duties at the setter position and handed out a combined 48 assists. Castillo dished out 19 while making 10 digs and Gates tallied 29 with seven digs.

UMass-Boston went a perfect 4-0 on the weekend, Richard Stockton and Cortland were 3-1, Stevens and Baruch posted 1-3 marks and NYU-Poly was 0-4.

The Most Valuable Player of the Ducks Invitational was Boston's Shannon Thompson. Joining Thompson on the All-Tournament Team were, her teammate, Molly Rattigan, Cortland's Ashley Coyle and Sheena Asibey, Stephanie Warner and Nicole Serekian from Stockton, Dickinson and Baruch's Jessica Wu.