Box Score

Nazareth NAZARETH 21-13

Stevens STEVENS 26-7

Nazareth NAZARETH

21-13

Final

Nov. 05, 2017

Stevens STEVENS

26-7

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
Nazareth NAZARETH	19	18	14	(0)
Stevens STEVENS	25	25	25	(3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 11/5/2017 4:35:00 PM | Charles O'Brien

Champions Again! Women’s Volleyball sweeps Nazareth to win E8 crown

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vs. United States Merchant Marine Academy

11/10/2017 | 3:00 p.m.

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Nov. 10 (Fri) / 3:00 p.m.

vs. United States Merchant Marine Academy

History

Recap
Roster

HOBOKEN, N.J.. (November 5, 2017) – Sophomore outside hitters Taleen Mitchell and Casey King combined for 21 kills to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team to a sweep of Nazareth College (25-19, 25-18, 25-14) Sunday to win the Empire 8 Conference Championship.

The championship was the fifth E8 crown for Stevens women's volleyball since joining the Empire 8 in 2007. The Ducks earn the Empire 8's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Canavan Arena has hosted an NCAA regional bracket in two of the last three seasons.

Stevens' three-set victory marked the ninth time in championship history that the winning team won in straight sets.

Sophomore Sara Hain was named the championship's Most Valuable Player after hitting 0.571 over the two-match tournament. The Roseville, Minnesota native recorded six kills on 10 attacks without an error against Alfred and then totaled eight kills on 11 attacks with two errors in the championship. Hain also collected five blocks.

With the victory, the Ducks improved to 26-7.

Kelsey Milligan tallied seven kills to lead the Golden Flyers. Savannah Bothner notched a match-high 19 digs for Nazareth, who fell to 21-13.

Volleys and Points

The opening set produced a back-and-forth affair that saw neither team open more than a one-point lead until the Ducks reeled off seven straight points to open a 16-9 advantage. Four different players converted Julie Greco sets for a kill.
Nazareth would only close the deficit to five, before Mitchell pinned down a Greco feed to close the opening set.
Play in the second set drifted in Stevens' direction early. A King kill returned serve to the Ducks with a 2-1 lead.
A Jessica Barry ball-handling error and a King ace pushed the lead to three. Stevens would not relinquish its advantage, opening up as much as an eight-point lead.
Greco deftly pushed a Sydni Horner pass over the net and into an empty space to close the second set. The kill was the sophomore setter's lone score of the match.
The third set saw Stevens' offense click even more, with the Ducks only making two attack errors, leading to a 0.379 hit percentage in the final frame.
With its season on the line, Nazareth grabbed an early two-point lead in the third set. The Golden Flyers matched Stevens point for point until a crucial six-point run handed the Ducks an 18-11 lead.
Consecutive aces by sophomore Shelby Stewart and three Mitchell kills sparked the rally.
A Milligan kill briefly halted the Stevens momentum, but a block assist by Hain and Greco began another four-point run for the home team.
Hain and Greco teamed to reject a Delaney Martin attack attempt to bring Stevens to match point.
A service returned possession to Nazareth before Stevens quickly closed out the match.

Championship Point

Hain set down a Greco set to close out the match.

Inside the Numbers

Stevens hit .333, crossing the .300 mark for the second consecutive match.
Sophomore Julie Greco collected a match-high 39 assists and totaled 80 assists over the two matches. The Thornwood, New York native also added three blocks.
King recorded her 11th double-double of the season and 19th of her career.
Stewart matched Celia Cordero with two service aces. The sophomore middle totaled four in the championship to lead the team.
Mitchell averaged an even 10 kills and 9.5 digs over the two-game tournament.
Stevens had just nine attack errors in the championship match and 14 for the weekend, averaging just over two miscues per set. The team hit 0.318 over two matches.

Coach Speak

"Today we were able to check one more box off on our list of goals this season. It was a great team effort."
"We took care of our jobs and executed really well. It's a good feeling going into the NCAAs after playing that well. Congrats to Naz on a great season."

On Hain

"Sara was amazing both offensively and defensively. She was able to put a lot of pressure on their side with her block in their face constantly. She also was very clean offensively and got the job done. Very well-deserved award for Sara."

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