HAVERFORD, Pa. (September 2, 2017)  – Sophomore outside hitter Taleen Mitchell recorded her first two career double-doubles as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team defeated Rowan University 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) and Haverford College 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-16) Saturday on the first day of competition at the Haverford Invitational.

Senior libero Sydni Horner moved closer to breaking the program's all-time record for digs as the Ducks opened the season 2-0 for the third straight season. The Columbia, Maryland native combined for 47 digs on the afternoon to move within 35 of Rachel Ostroff's career total of 2,101, set in 2006. 

Kailey Gallagher had eight kills for Rowan, who fell to Haverford in the middle match of the day, to close play at 0-2. Natalie Pisch had 11 kills for Haverford, who ended the day 1-1.

Stevens' victory over Rowan in game one was the first career victory for head coach Annie McShea.

Volleys and Points (Rowan)

• Courtside scoring - no play-by-play available.

Volleys and Points (Haverford)

• The teams traded points in the opening set before reaching a 10-10 tie.
• The attacking tandem of sophomore Casey King and senior opposite Emily Singleton took the set over, combining for five kills as Stevens went on a decisive 10-2 run to snare a commanding 20-12 lead.
• Haverford closed to within 21-15, but the Ducks scored four of the next five points to win the set. Mitchell converted a set from sophomore Julie Greco for the final point.
• Four straight points to open the second set gave Stevens an early lead. Singleton and sophomore Shelby Stewart punctuated the run with a tandem block of a Claire Nicholas attack.
• A King attack error finally gave the serve to Haverford, but King promptly converted her next opportunity to reclaim the serve for the Ducks.
• Six consecutive points pushed the Stevens lead to nine (10-1) and the lead would grow to as many as 10 before Haverford battled back to knot the set at 22.
• Stevens would again show a finishing touch, converting three of the final four points to grab a two-set lead. Kills by Stewart and Singleton closed the set.
• After rallying in the second set, Haverford jumped ahead 14-7, before Stevens rallied to pull within two (15-13) with Singleton and King leading the attack and Stewart patrolling the net.
• The Fords would reclaim the serve and jumped out to a 20-13 edge.
• Freshman Jillian Roumbanis propelled the Ducks to five consecutive points with deep and accurate serves leading to three errors..
• Trailing by a single point, the Ducks were unable to keep Natalie Pisch off the attack. The junior outside hitter connected for a pair of kills to close the set.
• Stevens again jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set as Singleton snared an ace and for Haverford into a pair of errors.
• The Ducks would push their lead to 11-3 and led the Fords by at least five points over the remainder of the match.

Match Point (Haverford)

• Casey King converted a Sydni Horner set for her fifth kill of the set to close the match.

Inside the Numbers (Rowan)

• Stevens finished the match with a .221 attack percentage (42-13-131), including .375 (14-2-32) in the final set.
• Stevens held the statistical edge in all categories except blocks, where Rowan held a 6-4 advantage.
• Hain recorded 12 kills on 16 attacks with just one error (.688 attack percentage).
• Greco dished out a career-best 38 assists.
• Hain and Mitchell were the only players in the match to record double-digit kills.
• While not holding the edge in blocks, Stevens' presensce at the point of attack forced Rowan into a .140 attack percentage. 
• Roumbanis recorded 12 digs in her collegiate debut as Stevens recorded 72 digs as team.
• Mitchell recorded her first career double-double with 10 kills (on 37 attacks) and 13 digs.

Inside the Numbers (Haverford)

• The Ducks registered a .214 attack percentage in the match, outproducing the Fords 74-45 in total points.
• Stevens opened the match with a dominating performance in the opening set, connecting for 17 kills on 29 attacks, with just four errors (.448).
• Each team registered seven aces, but Stewart and Singleton controlled the net, teaming up for eight and seven blocks, respectively.
• The dominating play at the net forced Haverford into a 0.075 hit percentage for the match, including a negative percentage in the final set.
• After setting a career-high in the opening match, Greco upper her assist total against Haverford, setting a new career mark with 40.
• King finished with 17 kills and 15 digs, narrowly missing career-best totals in each category.
• Freshman Olivia Poplawski recorded a block and a dig in her first collegiate action.

Coach Speak (McShea)

• "Today the team persevered through two really tough matches. Both Rowan and Haverford tested us and we had to make adjustments and fight back, which we did. It was a great start to build on for the rest of the season."
• "There was a sense of relief throughout the team and coaching staff after our first win against Rowan. It was a tough three-set match. Rowan made us get creative with our offense and stay on our toes with our defense. It was a good feeling to go into the match against Haverford with that win behind us."

Unsung Heroes

• "Sara Hain played incredible against Rowan. We kept feeding her the ball and could not be stopped."
• "Jillian Roumbanis made her college debut and did it in impressive fashion. She steadied the serve-receive and having her, along with Sydni, on defense, gives the team confidence, knowing they are going to get good touches."

Up Next

• Stevens returns to the court Sunday for a pair of matchups with two top-25 programs.
• An NCAA Regional Final rematch is first up as the Ducks matchup with No. 16 Eastern University. It will be the first of two 2017 meetings between the teams.
• A contest with No. 10 University of Mary Washington follows.
• Live Stats and Video are available for the game with Mary Washington (Noon) only.

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