HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 19, 2018) – Junior
Taleen Mitchell recorded a match-high 15 kills as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team hit a season-high .349 in sweeping the United States Merchant Marine Academy (25-19, 25-23, 25-9) Wednesday, in a non-conference match at Canavan Arena.
Classmate
Sara Hain added 10 kills for the Ducks, who extended their winning streak to 11. The Roseville, Minnesota native joined Mitchell in hitting .444 over the contest. The dynamic duo committed just five errors on 45 attack attempts. As a team, the Ducks committed just 10 errors, marking the second-lowest total of the season.
Taylor Gilbertson totaled 11 kills for Merchant Marine, who dropped its fourth straight to fall to 2-4.
The three-set affair was a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Opening Round, which was also won by Stevens.
Volleys and Points
- Freshman Corinne Dougherty set down a Brianna Perez set to open the scoring Dougherty finished with five kills.
- Neither team was able to create separation over the early stages of the set.
- Consecutive Stevens attack errors tied the score at nine, before kills by Hain and Mitchell bookended a Gilbertson error to give the Ducks a three-point advantage.
- Once in front, Stevens controlled the play, with freshman Elizabeth Chu serving three consecutive aces to open a five-point lead.
- The Ducks reached set point courtesy of four Hain kills and the junior middle closed out the frame by converting a Perez pass for her seventh point of the frame.
- The second set provided the closest play between the teams.
- Caroline Elliot converted a Brittney Pinzon set to give the Mariners their first lead of the night (4-3).
- The teams traded the next series of points with the guests opening as much as a three-point edge before the Ducks rallied to tie the score at 11 courtesy of a Dougherty kill.
- Consecutive blocks returned the lead to Stevens. Perez and Hain began the sequence by rejecting a Gilbertson attack and then Mitchell and Hain immediately followed with a block of an Elliot attempt. As a team, The Ducks recorded eight blocks on the night, with Hain leading the way with five.
- Gilbertson knocked down a Pinzon set to give the Mariners a slim lead, but Perez deftly placed a ball in the corner of the Merchant Marine defense and junior Kristen Edmiston pinned down a Julie Greco set to push Stevens back in front.
- Dougherty pushed the Ducks to set point with a kill and Mitchell followed two plays later to close out the stanza.
- The final set was won courtesy of a series of Stevens runs.
- Hain knocked down a Perez set to open the scoring.
- The Ducks scored five straight points before Merchant Marine was able to get on the board.
- Three Merchant Marine errors and a pair of Mitchell aces opened a 10-point lead for the Ducks.
- A tandem block by Kate Lefler and Cadee Fromm drew the visitors within eight, but the Ducks quickly regained the serve and scored the final eight points to close the match.
- Junior Shelby Stewart recorded a pair of kills and a block during the match-ending sequence.
Match Point
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens outhit Merchant Marine .349-.043 and made just 10 attack errors on the night.
- The Ducks held the edge in kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs.
- Six different players recorded a kill and eight players tallied a dig.
- Six players notched a block, including Riegnar, who posted her first career rejection in the third set.
- Perez handed out a team-high 20 assists. The senior setter has recorded double-digit assists in 13 straight matches, including five with 20 or more. Perez ranks fifth in the Empire 8 Conference with 5.48 assists per set.
- Chu led all players with 17 digs. The reigning E8 Rookie of the Week is averaging a league-high 5.56 digs per set, which ranks among the national leaders.
- Stevens scored first in each set.
From the Courts
- "I'm happy with how the team performed tonight, especially coming off a challenging weekend."
- "It was nice to see them stay focused and take care of business. We continue to see improvements in a variety of players and our middles continue to be a force."
Unsung Hero
- While recording four kills, Stewart frequently drew a double team, allowing Hain and Mitchell to frequently attack with just one blocker at the net.
Up Next
- Stevens returns opens Empire 8 Conference play with a tri-match Saturday against Alfred and Nazareth.
- Live stats and video links for both matches are on StevensDucks.com.
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