DALLAS, PA. (October 8, 2019) – Led by 10 kills and a .789 attack percentage from junior
Shelby Stewart, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team earned its fourth consecutive sweep in MAC Freedom competition and clinched a spot in the MAC Freedom Championship Tournament with a 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Misericordia University Tuesday at Anderson Center.
With the win, the Ducks have now won 55 consecutive regular season conference games dating back to Oct. 5, 2012 as Stevens moved to 9-8 overall and 4-0 in MAC Freedom play this season.
Faith Merritt led the way for the Cougars, producing 10 kills and five digs as they dropped to 14-10 overall, 2-2 in the MAC Freedom.
Stewart, who also added six digs and three blocks, registered double-digit kills for the sixth time this season.
Reigning MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Kathleen Riegner ran a solid offense all night, producing 26 assists and leading Stevens to a .277 attack percentage in the match.
Volleys and Points
- Stevens grabbed a 9-6 lead in the opening set and used a 6-0 run highlighted by a pair of kills from both Stewart and senior Casey King to create separation.
- Stevens closed the first set by scoring seven of the final nine points to take home a 25-12 victory.
- Leading 4-3 in the second set, the Ducks once again used an early run to manufacture breathing room, rattling off six consecutive points to take a 10-3 lead.
- After Stevens scored five straight points to extend the lead to 10, the Cougars began to try to climb back into the set with two separate 5-1 runs.
- The Ducks put the set away late, however, grabbing the final three points to win 25-16.
- Tied at three early in the third and final set, Stevens produced a 9-1 run and grabbed an eight-point edge.
- The Ducks were able to keep Misericordia at arms-length for the remainder of the set, including winning six of the final seven points of the match.
Match Point
- Merritt attempted to pick up her 11th kill of the contest for the Cougars but hit the ball out of bounds to clinch the win for Stevens.
Inside the Numbers
- The Ducks hit .423 in the opening set of the match and held Misericordia to a season-best -.020 attack percentage in the match.
- Led by four aces from freshman Enkhsanaa Enkhbayar, Stevens registered seven service aces in the match compared to just one for the Cougars.
- The Ducks were also stellar on the defensive side of the ball, out-blocking Misericordia 8-2.
- King picked up eight kills and a team-high seven digs in the match while hitting .353.
Unsung Hero
- Freshman Corinne Dougherty had seven kills in the contest to go along with four digs and a pair of blocks in the victory.
Chasing History
- With three more blocks in the match, Stewart now sits at 424 career blocks and is just five total blocks from setting a new school record currently held by Maggie Kowalska.
- Senior Sara Hain hit .500 in the match, moving her season attack percentage to .395 and a career percentage of .338. If the season ended today, Hain would set both the career and single-season program records for hitting percentage.
From the Sidelines (Head Coach Annie McShea)
- "We came in tonight with what we felt like was a solid scouting report and game plan which we executed really well. We hit more efficiently than last week, allowing us to feel comfortable taking risks with our serve. We were clicking and did a good job staying disciplined from start to finish."
- "I'm really happy with the way we were able to take care of business against a solid team in Misericordia."
Next Up
- Stevens will travel to Minnesota for three games this weekend, starting with a pair of contests against No. 18 University of St. Thomas and RV University of Northwestern (MN) Friday at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., respectively in St. Paul Minn.
- It is believed to be the first matchups between the Ducks and St. Thomas as well as Northwestern.
- Live video will be available at StevensDucks.com.
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