HOUGHTON, N.Y. (October 7, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team moved to 6-0 in the Empire 8 Conference with wins over Houghton and Elmira Saturday.

Overall, the Ducks are now 21-2 on the season.

STEVENS 3, HOUGHTON 0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-18)
The Ducks fell behind in set one early, but regained momentum to pull ahead for good after a Highlander service error. The error allowed Stevens to take 11 of the next 12 tallies, all with senior Mary Tobin on the service line. A big double-block by Tobin and freshman Sara Hain ended the first period.

With the hosts up 8-7 after a double-block in the second stanza, junior Sydni Horner started a 5-0 rally, capped off with back-to-back kills from freshman Shelby Stewart. Houghton pulled ahead with a 5-0 spurt of their own, but Stevens countered with four straight points to take a lead. Consecutive attack errors gave the Ducks a lead they did not relinquish, and Stewart slugged home a set ending kill. Set three was all Stevens, never trailing and used three different 3-0 runs to keep Houghton from making a comeback.

Tobin led the way with 11 kills and eight digs, while Stewart and Hain combined for 18 kills.

STEVENS 3, ELMIRA 0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-12)
The Ducks hit a blistering .393 against the Soaring Eagles, including a .524 clip in the third and final set. Elmira hit negative over the three sets, mustering only a -.014 hitting percentage. With Elmira leading 7-5 in the opening frame, Horner captained a 6-0 run from the service line. Elmira could not get any closer than three markers, and freshman Taleen Mitchell nailed home a set-ending kill put Stevens ahead in the match.

The Ducks never trailed in the second, as senior Becca Youngman delivered five straight points, aided by a trio of unforced errors. After Elmira cut the gap down to six, Hain ended the rally with a big kill from sophomore Brianna Perez, leading to Stevens scoring six of the final seven points of the set.

Stevens was aided in the third stanza, as Elmira committed six straight errors at one point. Hain and Mitchell combined for back-to-back double blocks during the run. Mitchell pushed the lead to double-digits with a nine point run of her own, and Elmira was unable to come back from the deficit.

Senior Christina Sciarra and Mitchell each had a team-best six digs, while Mitchell added three kills and two blocks. Tobin had eight kills, while Perez dished out 22 assists.

The Ducks will be back in action Friday, hosting FDU-Florham and Springfield in the Stevens Invitational beginning at 4 p.m.

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