DALLAS, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2021) – Led by a double-double from senior setter Kathleen Riegner, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team continued its historic stretch of dominance by winning its 60th consecutive regular season conference match with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-11) sweep of Misericordia on the road Tuesday night.

The Ducks got a 23-assist, 13-dig effort from Riegner and held their opponent under a .150 attack percentage for the eighth consecutive match to open the season 8-0 and move to 2-0 in MAC Freedom play while the Cougars well to 2-6, 0-2 in the MAC Freedom.

Much as they have been all season, Stevens was dynamite at the service line with 14 aces marking the fourth time this season the Ducks have been in double figures.

Senior Elizabeth Chu, sophomore Madison Sappia and first-year Nicole Scribner each has three aces for Stevens in the win. All three student-athletes currently rank inside the top-10 in the MAC Freedom in aces per set.

Sophomore Megan Dion was the top offensive option for Stevens as she put down eight kills on just 13 swings for a season-best .462 attack percentage. First-year Parker Adkins finished just behind her with seven and sophomore Liz Patterson finished with six to give the Ducks a well-balanced offensive attack.

Stevens played stellar defense throughout the contest, holding Misericordia to a .012 attack percentage and limiting the 2019 MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year Fiona Pfyer to just six kills and a .000 hitting percentage.

Volleys and Points

• After sluggish starts over the weekend, the Ducks started this match with a bang, winning nine of the first 11 points to take a 9-2 lead.
• Stevens got a little bit of everything in the run including kills from Patterson (2), sophomore Elle Maggio, Dion (2) as well as two aces from Scribner and two Cougar attack errors.
• Misericordia responded immediately, however, using a 7-1 run that featured five kills to cut the deficit down to 11-10.
• With the score tied 13-13, the Ducks created some breathing room with a 4-0 run thanks in part to an Ava Smithing kills and a Chu ace.
• On top 18-17, Sappia stepped to the service line and delivered a pair of huge back-to-back aces to give the Ducks a 21-17 cushion.
• After the Cougars answered with a 3-0 run of their own, Stevens again turned to its serving expertise. This time it was Dion with the serves as she found the court for two consecutive aces to put the Ducks on top 24-20 before eventually taking the set 25-21 on an Adkins kill.
• The second set was close early before Stevens began to pull away with a huge run near the midway point of the stanza.
• Leading 8-7, the Ducks rattled off six straight points featuring a Smithing kill and two aces by Riegner to lead 14-7.
• The flurry did not end there, though as the Ducks used a 3-0 run followed by a 4-0 run to extend the edge to 11 at 21-10.
• The Cougars creeped back within eight at 22-14 but would not get any closer as Stevens used a Sappia ace and an Adkins kill to win the last three points and take the set 25-14 and go up 2-0.
• The third and final set was dominated by Stevens from the jump with the Ducks leading by scores of 7-1, 10-2, 12-3 and 19-6.
• Dion fueled the 7-1 run to start the set with a pair of kills while Maggio added another and Scribner chipped in with an ace.
• Leading 14-6, the Ducks had perhaps their most impressive stretch of the night with a 5-0 run that saw kills from Smithing, sophomore Meghan Elder and Patterson as well as back-to-back aces from Chu.
• In fact, Stevens earned all 11 of its final points in the match with eight kills and three aces in the rally.
• Sophomore Sophia Mains and her fellow classmate Eder earned their first collegiate kills in the final set to help the Ducks win 25-11.

Match Point

• Smithing, who was extremely efficient all night, took just her eighth swing of the match and put down her fifth kill to complete the sweep for the Ducks.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens held an edge in every offensive category including kills (35-20), aces (14-3) and assists (32-20).
• The Ducks also held a 39-30 edge in digs and a 6-3 advantage in blocks.
• Riegner had a team-high 13 digs for her 13th double-double of her career and the first in her senior season.
• Just behind her in digs with 12 was Chu who filled up the stat sheet as well with three assists and three aces.
• The .275 attack percentage was the second-best percentage from the Ducks this season, just .001 behind the .276 hitting percentage against Marymount.
• The Ducks' 8-0 start is the best since the 2013 season when Stevens started 12-0.
• Dion also finished the contest with four blocks, two of which came in solo chances.
• Reigner is now averaging 9.35 assists per set which ranks first in the MAC Freedom by over one point.

Unsung Hero

• Smithing only had five kills in the match, but they came in big spots and were extremely effective. The junior hit .625 with a block and a dig in the contest.

Taking a Look Back

• The last time the Ducks lost a regular season conference match was Oct. 5, 2012. To put a perspective on the amount of time that has past, here were the current events of the time:
  • Barack Obama was in his first term as President of the United States
  • Apple unveiled the iPhone 5
  • "Whistle" by Flo Rida was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Top-40
  • "Pitch Perfect" debuted in theaters
  • Stevens softball had just completed its second year of NCAA competition
  • The New York Giants were the reigning Super Bowl champions

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Brianna Jones)

• "I liked our competitive energy the entire match. Our team really came together and put on a good show tonight."

Up Next

• The Castle Point Challenge in Hoboken, N.J., this weekend kicks off Friday night against Clarkson University at 7:00 p.m.
• It will be club volleyball night inside Canavan Arena and the first 50 fans in attendance will receive free Stevens Duck tattoos.
• The Ducks and the Golden Knights have split each of the last 10 meetings 5-5. Stevens has now won back-to-back against Clarkson including a 3-0 sweep in Potsdam, N.Y., on Sept. 15, 2018.
• Live stats and video for the entire weekend will be available on StevensDucks.com.