HOUGHTON, N.Y. (September 23, 2017)  – Senior Emily Singleton totaled 20 kills and sophomore Shelby Stewart had eight kills and 10 blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team swept Houghton College (25-20, 25-18, 25-15) and Utica College (25-8, 25-9, 25-15) Saturday in an Empire 8 Conference tri-match.

Sophomore outside hitter Casey King added 16 kills for the Ducks, who won their 13th straight match to improve to 15-2 overall, and 4-0 in conference play.

Ally Bittinger led Houghton with seven kills. The hosting Highlanders swept Utica (25-16, 25-14, 25-12) in the final match of the day. Houghton finished play at 7-8 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Allison Della Panna had three kills for the Pioneers, who fell to 3-12 and 0-3.

Volleys and Points (Houghton)

• After a Stevens attack error gave Houghton the first point of the match, the Ducks went on a four-point run to jump out in front.
• A game Houghton team would trade points with Stevens, drawing the set even at 12.
• Sophomore Taleen Mitchell converted a Julie Greco set to return the serve to the Ducks.
• King would follow with a kill and Stewart and Singleton teamed to block an Amber Edwards attack to push the lead to 15-12.
• Houghton would close to within two, but aces from Stewart and freshman Jillian Roumbanis again turned the tide back towards the guests.
• Houghton's 10th error of the set closed out the first set.
• The Highlanders struck first for the second straight set, taking advantage of a Greco service error and a Bittinger kill to open a two-point lead.
• After the teams alternated points, a decisive 5-0 run gave Stevens a commanding lead.
• Stevens would not relinquish its newfound lead, and held Houghton at arms' length for the remainder of the set.
• A Singleton error and a block assist by Mitchell and Stewart closed the set.
• The Ducks scored three of the first four points of the final frame to take an early lead.
• A Kaylee Haller kill drew the hosts to within one, but six errors sparked an 8-0 Stevens run.
• Senior libero Sydni Horner notched two aces in a four-point span to give the Ducks a 10-point lead, its largest lead of the match.
• Houghton would draw within seven, but three kills by Singleton (2) and Stewart sent Stevens on to an opening-match victory.

Volleys and Points (Utica)

• Stevens scored five of the first six points of the match. Four of the five points came on Utica errors. A Singleton kill accounted for the final point of the stretch.
• The Ducks took advantage of multiple Utica miscues to build its lead.
• Consecutive kills by King and classmate Sara Hain gave Stevens an eight-point lead.
• A block assist from Singleton and Stewart vaulted Stevens into a four-point run that closed out the first set.
• Stevens scored the first four points of the second set.
• Utica rallied to close to within 5-4. The one-point differential marked the smallest lead for Stevens.
• The Ducks would use an 11-point run to take control of the set. The streak was the longest of the season. With junior Emily Piekarski at the serve, Kristen Edmiston recorded three straight kills, and Utica totaled five errors, including three ball-handling miscues.
• After consecutive points by Utica, King converted a Horner pass to return the serve to Stevens. 
• The Ducks would score five of the next six points to win the set.
• Kills from King and senior McKenzie Kingsbury opened the scoring in the final set.
• Three straight kills from Hain broke open the set.
• Piekarksi notched a pair of aces to draw match points before King closed out the match.

Match Point (Houghton)

• Consecutive kills by Emily Singleton closed the match.

Match Point (Utica)

• Casey KIng converted an Olivia Poplawski set for her third kill of the set to close the match.

Inside the Numbers (Houghton)

• Singleton's 14 kills led all players. It was the high-water mark for Stevens and its two opponents in the tri-match.
• Greco recorded 35 assists, her seventh match with 35 assists or more. Houghton only registered 22 assists as a team. She also converted her only kill attempt.
• The Ducks held an edge in kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs.
• King's 13 digs led the team. Houghton's Morgan Potempa led all players with 14.
• Stevens forced Houghton into a negative attack percentage in the final set. The Ducks recorded a match-high .344 hit percentage (17-6-32) in the second set.
• Singleton hit .440 for the match and sophomore Shelby Stewart hit .500. Stewart also added six blocks.

Inside the Numbers (Utica)

• Stevens silenced the Utica attack, forcing the Pioneers into a negative hit percentage for all three sets. It was the lowest mark for a Stevens opponent this season. The Ducks also held Utica to single digits in all three sets.
• The Ducks hit .400 in the opening set, making only two errors. While the attack percentage dropped slightly in the second set, the Ducks only made a single error.
• Nine different players recorded a kill for the Ducks. 
• Edmiston's five kills set a new career-high.
• Utica recorded only 11 successful kills on the afternoon.
• Stevens held the statistical advantage in kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs.
• Led by Greco and Poplawski, Stevens recorded 38 assists without a single setting error.
• Stevens never trailed in the match.

Coach Speak

• "Today we were able to have another great team effort."
• "We had a lot of fun with some different lineups and it's nice to see a variety of people stepping up."

Unsung Heroes

• "I was impressed with how the entire team played today. [Jillian Roumbanis] continues to steady our serve-receive game with great numbers, while [Taleen Mitchell] and Emily Singleton could not be stopped offensively against Houghton."
• "Against Utica, we had some different people step up including Emily Piekarski and Kristen Edmiston. It's really nice to know how deep our bench goes and that we have options at all times."

Up Next

• Stevens welcomes Vassar College to Canavan Arena for a non-conference match Wednesday evening. 
• It will be the third straight Wednesday that Stevens welcomes a non-conference foe to Hoboken.
• Live stats and video links at StevensDucks.com.

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