POTSDAM, N.Y. (September 16, 2018)  – Juniors Shelby Stewart and Sara Hain totaled 29 kills and 13 blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun Susquehanna University in five sets (17-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20, 15-12) Sunday to close out the Golden Knight Invitational, hosted by Clarkson University.

Sydney Portale led all players with 16 kills and Caroline Beohm recorded 25 digs for the River Hawks, who fell to hosting Clarkson earlier in the day to fall to 6-6. Susquehanna has alternated back-to-back wins and losses over its last eight matches.

Earlier in the day, junior Taleen Mitchell and freshman Corinne Dougherty joined Stewart in notching nine kills as the Ducks downed SUNY Potsdam in four sets (25-11, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18) to complete a sweep of the four tournament matches. The victories improved Stevens' record to 10-3. The Ducks have won 10 consecutive matches.

Gabby Scott tallied nine kills for Potsdam, who has lost five straight.

Over the course of the four matches, Hain totaled 39 kills on 80 attacks with just five errors (.425 attack percentage) and was named the event's Most Valuable Player. Stewart finished with 37 kills on 79 attacks with seven errors (.380) to go along with 13 blocks, and joined Hain on the All-Tournament Team.

"I could not be more impressed with our grit and determination this weekend," said head coach Annie McShea. "Through some adverse conditions, we were able to battle until the last whistle."

After a four-set victory over the Bears that saw all 15 players find the scoresheet, Stevens got off to a slow start against Susquehanna.Riley O'Dowd scored three of the match's first four points to power the River Hawks to an early 4-1 lead.

Consecutive kills from Mitchell and Stewart brought Stevens within one, but Susquehanna took advantage of some uncharacteristic miscues to reopen a five-point lead. Three straight errors drew the Ducks to within one, but a seven-point run put the set out of reach with Hannah Lyons putting down a Lindsey Pugh set to close out the frame.

The second set saw Stevens bring a more consistent offense, decreasing the number of attack errors, while increasing kills. The Ducks jumped out in front early, scoring seven of the first ten points to open a 7-3 lead. Stewart recorded a kill and an ace during the sequence and paired with Dougherty to reject a Sydney Portale attack. The Powell, Ohio native finished with 10 block assists, which was three away from a program record. Three different players recorded 13 block assists, most recently by Donna McMahon in 1990. McMahon also holds the program record of 15 total blocks. Stewart ranks third with .73 blocks per set and moved into third place on the program's all-time blocks list.

After a timeout, the River Hawks began a slow climb back into match, finalling drawing even at 10 after a Portale kill. The teams then exchanged points over the remainder of the set. Junior Julie Greco fed Stewart and Hain for successful kills to force a timeout and an O'Dowd error gave Stevens a chance to even the match, but Portale and Brooke Lacesa teamed for the final four points of the stanza to give Susquehanna the set and put Stevens' back against the wall.

Stevens began its comeback by scoring the opening point of the third. Dougherty pinned down a Greco feed to give the Ducks the early lead. Greco finished the match with 23 assists, while senior Brianna Perez handed out 21. The duo combined for 33 assists earlier in the day against Potsdam.

The Ducks used a pair of three-point runs to pull ahead 13-8, but Susquehanna used a 6-1 run to force a tie at 18. Aiming to force a fourth set, Stevens capitalized on a service error, using the newfound possession to score five straight points to take control of the set. 

A Mitchell kill brought Stevens to set point. After a four-point River Hawk run tightened the score, Mitchell knocked down another Perez set to give new life to the Ducks.

"After losing the first two sets to Susquehanna, we made some crucial adjustments and never gave up," McShea commented. "I am very proud of our team effort."

Stevens turned in their best defensive effort of the match in the fourth set, forcing Susquehanna into a equal number of attack errors and kills. 

Junior Kristen Edmiston opened the scoring in the decisive fourth set and a Natalie Arm error opened a two-point lead before Susquehanna got on the board. 

The River Hawks appeared to take control of the set with a four-point stretch, but Stevens wouldn't go away quietly. Mitchell set down a Perez set to bring the Ducks within one and Edmiston knocked down a Greco set to give a 10-9 lead. Once in front, the Ducks continued to hold the lead, closing out the set with a five-point run, keyed by two Stewart kills and a double block by Stewart and Edmiston.

Playing in a five-set match for the third time this season, Stewart opened the fifth set with a kill and then paired with Edmiston to reject an O'Dowd attack as the Ducks ran off the first three points of the set.

Susquehanna rallied to take a slim lead at 7-6, but Hain scored two of the next three points to put Stevens back in front and force a timeout. Perez set up Hain for both successful attacks and directed a Roxy Stirb pass over the net to account for the other point in the sequence. The Tomball, Texas native finished with two kills in the deciding fifth set.

Leading 12-11, Stewart converted a Greco pass and again teamed with Edmiston to block O'Dowd on the outside to reach match point. Dougherty completed the comeback two points later with a kill off a Greco feed, keeping Stevens unblemished in five-set contests. The Wycoff, New Jersey native finished with eight kills.

The Ducks recorded a season-best 105 digs in the comeback with freshman Elizabeth Chu accounting for 26 and Mitchell posting a career-high 22.

Against Potsdam, Hain led Stevens with eight kills on nine attacks without an error as nine different Ducks recorded a kill. Junior Abbie Clark posted a career-high four kills and freshman Terence Chan collected her first collegiate point. 

Up Next: Stevens welcomes the United States Merchant Marine Academy to Canavan Arena for a midweek non-conference match on Sept. 19. It will be a rematch of a 2017 NCAA Opening Round match, won by Stevens in three sets. Live stats and video links at StevensDucks.com.

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