HOBOKEN, N.J. (Sept. 17, 2021) – For the first time in the 2021 season, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team was unable to find the right formula for a victory as they fell 3-1 against Clarkson University Friday night inside Canavan Arena in the second match of the Castle Point Challenge.

In a matchup of two programs who both received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll on Sept. 7, the Golden Knights came out on fire and took the first set 25-12 and the second set 25-19. The Ducks bounced back and won set three 25-19 and nearly forced a decisive fifth set but ultimately fell 25-23 to drop to 8-1 on the season.

Stevens was led offensively by sophomores Elle Maggio and Liz Patterson who both finished the contest with nine kills apiece while first-year Parker Adkins added eight kills and eight digs in the loss.

Clarkson, meanwhile, got a 14-kill, 10-dig double-double from Sara Galante and played stellar defense throughout the match to pick up the win. The Golden Knights hit .195 in the match to become the first team this season to hit over .150 against the Ducks as Stevens came into the matchup ranked seventh in all of NCAA Division III with a .052 opponent's attack percentage.

The Ducks still made history, however, as first-year head coach Brianna Jones' 8-0 start to her career is the best start in the 35-year history of the program.

Volleys and Points

• As noted, the Golden Knights came out firing on all cylinders and took advantage of three Stevens errors as a part of a 4-0 run to take an early 6-2 lead.
• On top 6-5, Clarkson went on another run, this time rattling off seven consecutive points thanks to an ace, two kills and four Duck errors.
• Stevens was able to climb back to within seven at 16-9 but could not get any closer as the Golden Knights slammed the door by scoring nine of the final 12 points of the set to win 25-12 in what was the most lopsided set loss of the season for Stevens.
• The second set saw the Ducks take an early 4-2 edge before Clarkson bounced back with six straight points highlighted by three Galante kills to move ahead 8-4.
• The Ducks did not go down quietly, though, grabbing an 11-9 lead with six straight points of their own thanks to kills by Maggio and junior Ava Smithing.
• Trailing 14-13, the Golden Knights again turned to Galante who turned in back-to-back kills as a part of a 5-0 run to re-take the lead at 18-14.
• Senior Kathleen Riegner willed the Ducks back into the set with two straight aces after falling behind by five but could not come any closer as Clarkson won the final three points of the stanza to win 25-19 and take a 2-0 edge.
• The third set saw both teams trade points back-and-forth early before Stevens threw the first punch with a 6-2 run featuring kills by Patterson, sophomore Megan Dion and first-year Cleo Shannon as well as an ace by sophomore Madison Sappia.
• The Golden Knights chipped away as the deficit and got back to within one at 16-15 before Stevens turned things around by grabbing nine of the set's last 13 points to win 25-19.
• The 9-4 run to end set three saw a little bit of everything including kills by Patterson, Maggio, Adkins and Shannon, aces from sophomore Enkhsanaa Enkhbayar and Dion and three Clarkson errors.
• The fourth and final set much resembled a heavyweight fight with both teams throwing power punches.
• The Golden Knights landed the first couple of blows in the stanza with a pair of quick 4-0 runs to keep the Ducks at arms-length early and hold a 16-11 edge.
• Stevens answered the bell quickly with a 4-0 flurry of their own thanks to an Elizabeth Chu service ace and back-to-back kills from Maggio and Dion.
• Trailing 18-16, Stevens too their first lead of the set with Sappia at the service line scoring four consecutive points once again highlighted by a kill as well as a solo block from Shannon.
• Clarkson responded, however, by going 2-for-1 in points down the stretch and ending the match on a 7-3 run to win 3-1.

Match Point

• With a pair of opportunities at match point, the Golden Knights were able to put it away on their second try when Olivia Freer found the court with her eighth kill of the match.

Inside the Numbers

• The first set was heavily in favor of Clarkson as the Golden Knights held a 0.273 to -0.167 edge in attack percentage.
• The Ducks were able to turn things around in the attacking phase, improving their attack percentage every set including an impressive .324 hitting percentage in the final set.
• Stevens actually held a narrow 45-40 advantage in kills and a 42-36 edge in assists.
• The Golden Knights were much more effective at the net with a 6-2 lead in blocks.
• Coming off the bench, Shannon was extremely efficient for the Ducks all night putting down a season-best seven kills and a .400 attack percentage.
• Chu was the leader defensively with a match-high 20 digs and added four aces and four assists to her ledger.
• Clarkson sided out at a 53.8 percent clip while Stevens was only about to side out 45.2 percent of the time.

Unsung Hero

• Coming in off the bench to set, Enkhbayar gave the Ducks a spark offensively with 11 assists, five digs and an ace.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Brianna Jones)

• "Tonight was a hard-fought matchup against a very good Clarkson team. I was proud of the way our team was able to bounce back and was happy with the way people stepped up into their roles throughout the night. We're looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."

Next Up

• The Castle Point Challenge concludes with four matches Saturday, two of which will feature the Ducks.
• Stevens starts the day with a 10:30 am contest against Stockton before facing off with Scranton at 6:00 pm.
• The Ospreys hold a narrow 6-5 edge in the last 11 contests between the two programs dating back to the 2007 season including a 3-0 sweep the last time the two teams played in 2019.
• The Ducks have knocked off the Royals two of the last three times they have met with Stevens winning the last contest 3-2 in 2019.
• Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.

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