HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 7, 2018)  – Junior Taleen Mitchell collected a double-double, classmate Shelby Stewart recorded 11 kills and six blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team defeated Kean University in five sets Friday on the opening day of the 2018 Ducks Classic at Canvan Arena.

Freshman Elizabeth Chu totaled 31 digs over the five-set affair for the Ducks, who swept College of Mount Saint Vincent earlier in the day to even their record at 3-3. Stevens has won three straight.

Stevens outhit both opponents on the afternoon and held an advantage in the service game, totaling 12 aces.

"Today was a hard fought battle from start to finish," said head coach Annie McShea. "Although our match with the Dolphins was a three-set match, it was not easily won as they put a lot of pressure on us throughout the match and I'm happy with how we pushed back."

"The Kean match was one of the exciting and fun games we've had in a long time," McShea continued. "That was a very powerful and disciplined team and we had to work hard to find ways to score. Again, our passing and defense was incredible and allowed our offense to go to work. I'm very happy with what we saw from Ducks Volleyball."

Meeting for the first time since the 2010 season, the teams were evenly matched, alternating points throughout the night. Stevens trailed in the early stages of the first and third sets only to rally in the middle portion of each frame to successfully close out the match.

In the first set, Mount Saint Vincent, a Madison Gale ace opened a four-point lead for the visiting team at 17-13, before Stevens reeled off seven straight points to take the set. Mitchell keyed the run, converting a set by junior Julie Greco, before a Jillian Roumbanis ace drew the teams even. An attack error and a Kristen Edmiston kill pushed Stevens ahead, before Roumbanis served her second ace of the stretch to force a timeout.
Stewart threw down a Greco set and then followed with an ace to close out the frame.

In the second set, Stevens scored seven of the first eight points to seize early control, taking advantage of four Mount Saint Vincent errors. Junior Sara Hain recorded two kills and Mitchell served an ace to account for the other points in the run.

The Dolphins would close to within two points at 10-8, but the Stevens offense got on track to provide separation between the teams. Freshman Corinne Dougherty pinned down a Greco set to begin the set-defining run and Stewart and Edmiston also converted Greco feeds to push the lead to seven. Dougherty finished with seven kills on 19 attacks and Greco finished with a match-high 21 assists.

The teams alternated the remaining points of the set with Hain pushing a ball through the middle of the Mount Saint Vincent defense to close out the set.

The final set saw the Dolphins jump out to an early 5-2 lead. Stewart keyed a three-point swing that tied the score at six before the teams went back to the familiar back-and-forth play that again drew the teams even at 12.

Stevens opened its largest lead of the set with a four-point run, highlighted by a rare triple block by Stewart, Edmiston and Mitchell. The guests pulled to within one, but Stevens kept Mount Saint Vincent at bay with successful play on the outside. Mitchell converted passes from Greco and senior Brianna Perez to bring Stevens to match point and Hain set down a Perez feed to shut the door on the Dolphins.

The second game saw Kean take the opening set before the Ducks rallied to win the second and third. In the second frame, Stevens posted a season-low one attack error in evening the match. While each team served five aces, the Ducks recorded a season-high 13 blocks and forced Kean into a negative attack percentage in two sets. The Cougars hit just .033 for the match.

Remarkably, each team dug 79 balls with Chu's career-high total of 31 leading all players. Combined, five different players reached double digits in kills with Kean's Vikki Stec leading all players with 15.

The opening set would set the tone for the match as the teams combining for six ties. The visiting Cougars ran off seven consecutive points to take the set. The Ducks made an uncharacteristic 12 errors in the frame - a number that would decrease over the remainder of the match.

A Kean attack error gave Stevens the first point of the second set and the Ducks would earn six of the frame's first eight points to take an early 6-3 lead. The potent Stevens attack kept Kean off-balance with errors accounting for each of Stevens' first seven points. 

Stevens would grow the lead to as many as eight points after a Stewart kill and a Zoe Stroezewski error.

The Cougars would trim the Stevens lead to five, but the Ducks defense would not break, not allowing Kean to creep any closer. 

Perez and Hain teamed for a block of a Stec attack and Hain and Mitchell converted back-to-back Perez feeds to open a 20-10 lead. A late Kean rally was thwarted when Stewart set down a Greco quick set. Consecutive Stroezewski errors gave Stevens the set and evened the match.

Stevens jumped out to an early lead in the third, scoring four of the first five points to claim a lead. The visitors would score five straight points to take a slim lead at 9-8. 

A Sarah Sample service error returned possession to Stevens and the Ducks took advantage, forcing four straight Kean errors, highlighted by a tandem block by Perez and Hain. The Ducks would hold this lead over the remainder of the set, closing it out on a Dougherty kill.

Kean successfully forced a fifth set after a pair of multi-point runs that turned a 6-5 Stevens lead into a 12-7 Kean advantage. The resilient Ducks drew within one on consecutive Hain kills, but Brett Harper set down a Brianna Calvano pass to close out the frame.

The final frame saw Stevens record the first two points on Hain kills, with the first coming on a recovery set from freshman Roxy Stirb. In addition to a career-high 12 digs, the Glen Ellyn, Illinois native added a pair of aces and an assist. Consecutive Kean errors forced a timeout and kills by Stewart and Dougherty helped push the Stevens advantage to eight (12-4).

Mitchell put down a Perez set into the middle of the Kean defense to bring Stevens to match point and the Ducks quickly closed out the match on a blocking error.

It was the first meeting between Stevens and Kean since 2015.

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