HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 16, 2017)  – Sophomores Shelby Stewart and Sara Hain combined for 36 kills and 17 blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 24 Christopher Newport University in five sets (14-25, 27-25, 25-15, 22-25, 15-6) and swept Arcadia University (25-17, 25-9, 25-21) on the second day of competition at the 2017 Ducks Classic Saturday.

Sophomore Casey King registered double-digit kills in both matches and classmate Taleen Mitchell totaled 18 for the Ducks, who extended their winning streak to nine. Stevens closed play at the Classic at 11-2. The victory over the Captains snapped a nine-game losing streak versus ranked opponents, dating back to the 2013 season.

Katelyn Newsome had 18 kills and Hope Webb and Tylar McGill combined for 46 assists for the Captains, who finished the weekend at 9-2. CNU swept New York University to open the Classic and defeated Arcadia 3-1. The Captains rallied to defeat No. 19 Eastern University in five sets to conclude the weekend.

Lizzie Joseph had nine kills and Julia Paliwodzinski dished out 15 assists for Arcadia, who closed the weekend at 7-3. The Knights took down No. 19 Eastern and fell to Christopher Newport Friday. Arcadia defeated NYU in four sets in its opening match Saturday.

Volleys and Points (Christopher Newport)

• The opening set saw the teams alternate the first 20 points.
• Tied at 10, CNU scored four of the next five points to take control of the set. A Hope Webb service error was the lone point for the Ducks.
• Stevens would close to within two (15-13), but CNU scored 10 of the next 11 points to take the lead. After a long rally, King pinned down a free ball to temporarily half the Newport run.
• The second set was one of only two sets on the weekend that needed extra points to find a winner.
• The visitors jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before a Webb ball-handling error gave Stevens its first point of the frame.
• CNU promptly regained the serve and went on a three-point run to take a 7-1 lead.
• Back-to-back blocks by Stevens propelled the Ducks back into the match. Hain had a hand in both, teaming with senior Emily Singleton to block a Katie Piper attack and then the Roseville, Minnesota native blocked a Riley Garrison attempt.
• With new life, the Ducks began a steady climb to tie the set, reaching its goal at 23. Kills by three different players, four blocks and a pair of serving aces helped change the momentum.
• A Newsome kill brought Newport to set point, but a Piper attack error again tied the set.
• Consecutive kills by Hain closed the set and tied the match.
• Lifted by its second-set rally, Stevens scored the first point of the third set on a King kill.
• A back-and-forth affair, the Ducks were able to take a commanding lead in the set after a Hain and Mitchell block of a Newsome attack.
• The block spurred the Ducks onto scoring the next six points as freshman Jillian Roumbanis kept CNU off-balance with strong serves. Three consecutive kills from Mitchell pushed the Stevens advantage to 19-14.
• A Newsome kill briefly halted the Stevens offense, but sophomore Julie Greco set a perfect ball for Hain, who promptly put it down to reclaim the serve.
• Three CNU errors and a pair of King kills gave Stevens a 2-1 advantage.
• Needing to win the fourth set to remain in the match, Christopher Newport jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. 
• The Ducks rallied to take a one-point lead after kills by Mitchell and Hain bookended a Garrison attack error.
• The lead would be short-lived as the Captains went on a five-point run to take a 16-10 lead.
• A Singleton kill brought new life to the home team, spurring the Ducks on a run that brought Stevens to within 23-22. 
• A Newsome kill brought CNU to set point and a Hain attack error tied the match. Stevens made seven attack errors in the set, its highest total in the match.
• In the final set, the teams traded the first seven points. The match-deciding run began after King converted a feed from senior Sydni Horner to tie the set at four.
• Stevens would go on to score the next nine points to take a 12-4 lead. The Ducks forced seven CNU errors during the run.
• Kills by Stewart and Mitchell brought the Ducks to match point and another CNU miscue closed the match out.

Volleys and Points (Arcadia)

• Arcadia grabbed a 1-0 after a Lauren Enfield kill. It would be the only time Stevens trailed in the match.
• Stevens rallied to score six of the next eight points to take control of the set at 6-3. Arcadia would close to within one point at 6-5 and 10-9, but the Ducks responded each time with consecutive points to reclaim its three-point advantage.
• Kills from King and Stewart brought Stevens to set point and another Stewart strike closed it out.
• Stevens raced to a five-point lead to open the second set. A King strike began the run and the Ducks took advantage of three consecutive Arcadia misplays to open a lead.
• After the Knights closed to within three (6-3), Stevens went on an 8-2 run and never looked back.
• With Greco at the serve, Stevens went on a seven-point run as its lead grew to 15. After receiving control of the serve, Greco promptly placed three straight balls where Emily Eng could not receive it. Greco then fed sophomore Kristen Edmiston for a kill. Greco then fed Stewart for a successful attack to complete an action-packed stretch.
• An Edmiston kill and an Allison Elechko attack error closed the set.
• Stevens grabbed an early lead in the final set, scoring the first point on a block assist from Stewart and King.
• Like sets one and two, a sustained run by the Ducks proved to be too much for Arcadia to overcome.
• Leading 5-4, Stevens scored five consecutive points to take a 10-4 lead. Hain recorded two kills and a block during the stretch.
• Arcadia drew to within one at 17-16, but a Hain kill sparked a run for the Ducks that saw their lead grow to 22-17. 
• A King kill brought the Ducks to match point and an Arcadia error gave Stevens the victory.

Match Point (Christopher Newport)

• A Josie Lucernoni attack error closed out the match for the Ducks.

Match Point (Arcadia)

• An Emily Eng serving error closed the match and extended the Stevens' winning streak to nine game.

Inside the Numbers (Christopher Newport)

• In the decisive final set, the Ducks recorded nine kills on 16 attacks with just one error (.500). Conversely, CNU only had three kills on 20 attacks with six errors (-.150).
• Led by Stewart's seven, Stevens held an 11-2 edge in blocks.
• Greco dished out a career-high 49 assists. The Thornwood, New York native added 11 digs for her third career double-double.
• Roumbanis served a career-high three aces.
• Horner's 31 digs led all players.
• Stevens scored its 15 points in the final set on the attack: nine kills and six CNU errors.
• King recorded 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. The 2016 Empire 8 Co-Rookie of the Year had eight in 32 matches last season.

Inside the Numbers (Arcadia)

• In the pivotal second set, Stevens forced Arcadia into a negative attack percentage. Stevens tallied 12 kills on 18 attacks with two errors (.556).
• Stevens only committed three total attack errors over the first two sets.
• The Ducks claimed an edge in every major statistical category.
• The strong play at the net continued for the Ducks as Arcadia did not field a player with double-digit kills in the match.
• Greco had a career-high five aces. 
• Hain and King combined to hit .500 (21-3-36) for the match.

Coach Speak

• "We had a tough opponent in our first match. We had to make some adjustments after the first set and I think our girls executed those changes really well. We knew our middles were going to be important and they're the reason we won that match."
• "We took the momentum from beating Christopher Newport into this match and never looked back. We continued to use our middles when we could, which opened things up for our pin hitters. We served very tough and had one of the best passing games we've had all season. Everything was clicking and it was a great way to end a successful weekend."

Unsung Heroes

• "Shelby and Sara were both incredible against CNU. They had some key blocks to give us the momentum when we needed it the most. They both were able to establish themselves as a threat early, making their blockers have to work hard."
• "Julie had a great game against Arcadia. She served tougher than I've ever seen her serve, which I've been challenging her to do, and it resulted in five aces. She also was able to move the ball around extremely well and create seams and one-on-one opportunities for all of our hitters to put the ball away with conviction. As a team, we hit above .350 and this is a result of our setter."

Up Next

• Stevens welcome New York University to Canavan Arena for a non-conference match Wednesday evening.
• NYU fell to Christopher Newport and No. 19 Eastern University at the Ducks Classic.
• Live stats and video links available at StevensDucks.com.

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