Box Score ELMIRA, N.Y. (November 4, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the Empire 8 Conference Championship against Nazareth College but dropped the final three sets of the match on Sunday afternoon at Elmira College. Stevens finishes the season with a 17-18 overall record after starting the year on an 0-9 skid. Nazareth claimed its second consecutive conference title with the victory.

In the five-set heartbreaker, 21-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-17, 15-10, the Ducks never trailed in the match up until Nazareth took an early 8-7 lead in the second set. Stevens would go down 17-12 in the same set but rallied to score the next 13 of 14 points to win, 25-18.

Stevens trailed for the majority of the third set as well. After going down, 20-14, the Ducks called a timeout to stall the Golden Flyers' momentum and came all the way back to tie the set at 23 apiece. Nazareth would tally the final two points for the 25-23 victory.

The fourth set went back-and-forth over the first 12 points (6-6) before Nazareth pulled away with a 9-3 run and forced a Stevens timeout at 15-9. The Golden Flyers pushed their lead to 20-12, before tying the match up at 2-2 with a 25-17 win in set four.

Stevens never led in the final set but applied pressure by closing the gap to within two points on two different occasions late in the game (11-9, 12-10).

Senior opposite hitter Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.) was named to the all-tournament team after tallying 27 kills and a .460 hitting percentage with 12 digs and four service aces. Sophomore middle hitter Katie Hall (Midlothian, Va.) also earned all-tournament recognition with 13 kills, three blocks and two aces.

Kowalska set a new school single-season record with 505 kills this season with 27 in the match. She surpassed the previous best of 472 with 27 in a five-set loss. This season alone, Kowalska posted new career standards for the program in points, kills, total blocks and block assists. To go along with her single-season mark in kills, she also jumped her old single-season points total of 570.5 with 615 at the conclusion of the contest.

Junior setter Samantha Gates (Wilmington, N.C.) handed out a team-best 50 assists to go along with 11 digs, two blocks, two kills and one ace. Fellow juniors, libero Hannah Gasper (Bourne, Mass.) added 11 digs defensively, while outside hitter Mary Caulson (West Islip, N.Y.) recorded six kills and six digs.

Freshman setter Catie Shelton (Central Square, N.Y.) registered nine digs for the Ducks from the back line.