ELMIRA, N.Y. (OCTOBER 24, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team locked up the top seed for the Empire 8 Conference Championship in two weeks, with wins over Houghton College and Elmira College Saturday.
 
The Ducks finished conference play with a perfect 8-0 mark, and moved to 16-11 overall. Houghton is 16-10 overall and 5-3 in conference, while Elmira dropped to 16-13, and 5-3 in the E8.
 
Stevens 3, Houghton 0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-22)
After falling behind 16-13 in the opening frame, the Ducks used a 9-2 spurt to grab a four point lead. A kill by junior Mary Tobin brought up set point, but Houghton tallied the next three points to bring up a set point of their own. Stevens fought back and used a kill from senior Catie Shelton and a pair of kills from sophomore Brianna Evans to claim set one.
 
In set two, the Ducks grabbed an early 9-5 lead, capped off by a kill from Evans. After an unforced error gave the serve back to the Highlanders, Stevens reeled off 10 of the next 13 markers, forcing Houghton into a timeout. The Highlanders couldn't get any closer than six points, and a Tobin kill gave the Ducks a 2-0 edge.
 
During the final set, the match started tied at three, four, five and six points apiece, before Houghton grabbed three in a row. With the period tied at 17 thanks to a kill from senior Annemarie Thomas, the Ducks used the momentum to score five straight. An ace by Evans brought up match point, but the Highlanders tallied three straight, forcing the Ducks into taking a timeout. The rally was short-lived, as Tobin pounded a kill to complete the sweep.
 
Tobin had a match high 17 kills, while sophomore Sydni Horner led everyone with 22 digs. Evans was tops on the team with four aces and four total blocks, with Shelton dishing out 41 assists.
 
Houghton only hit .185 as a unit, led by nine kills from Meaghan Palm, Hattie Burgher and Naomi Prentice. Anna Coryell handed out 30 assists.
 
Stevens 3, Elmira 0 (25-16, 25-19,25-16)
The Ducks quickly grabbed an early lead against Elmira in the first set, registering five of the first six points. After a kill from Paola Ortiz pulled the Soaring Eagles within four points at 19-15, Stevens tallied six of the final seven points, ending the set thanks to an attack error.
 
The Soaring Eagles raced out to a 13-6 edge, before the Ducks tallied the next few points, with a kill from junior Christina Sciarra to get within three. With the set tied at 19, Stevens claimed the final six points, with sophomore Mckenzie Kingsbury, Evans and Tobin all tallying kills during the final push to grab a 2-0 lead.
 
The Ducks never trailed in the third set, leading 6-2 early on. After the Soaring Eagles closed to within three thanks to a service ace, Stevens turn the tide with seven of the next nine points to swing the momentum back to the visiting side. Elmira fended off a pair of match points, but freshman Emily Piekarski served up an ace to clinch the match.

The Ducks held Elmira to a .051 hitting percentage, while hitting .267 themselves. In the pivotal third set, the team hit .458, making only two errors. Tobin and Evans each had 12 kills, while Horner once again tallied 22 digs.
 
For the second straight match, no one was able to record double digit kills, as Ashley Heiman and Kelsey Ross led the way with seven for the Soaring Eagles.
 
The Ducks return home for senior night Wednesday, as they take on the College of New Rochelle at 7 p.m. Prior to the match, seniors Annemarie Thomas, Sarah Leclerc, Catie Shelton and Kristen Herchenroder will be honored.

Photo C/O Ward Horner
 
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