HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 5, 2022) – Sophomore
Parker Adkins came off the bench to finish with a match- and season-high 14 kills and junior
Liz Patterson posted her fifth double-double of the season as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team rallied to defeat Misericordia University in five sets (14-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15, 16-14) Wednesday night in a MAC Freedom matchup at Canavan Arena.
Facing match point in the decisive fifth set, the Ducks responded with three straight points to close out their seventh straight victory in moving to 14-4 on the year and to a perfect 5-0 in conference play.
Fiona Pyfer had 12 kills to lead Misericordia, who dropped to 13-5 on the year and to 2-2 in league play. The Cougars have alternated wins and losses over their last four matches. Stevens improved to a perfect 6-0 all-time against Misericordia.
After not appearing in the opening set, Adkins finished with 14 kills over the final four sets. The Euless, Texas native was at her best in the final set, setting down three kills on four swings without an error. Her three kills in the fifth set were more than Misericordia recorded (2) as a team.
The deciding set saw the Cougars build an early lead only to see Stevens rally to grab a 10-8 after the teams switched sides. Misericordia responded with three straight points before the teams alternated the next series of points until an attack error set up match point for the visitors and forced a Stevens timeout.
As play resumed, senior
Enkhsanaa Enkhbayar set up Patterson for an attack that found its way into the Cougar defense to tie the score at 14. Enkhbayar then fed first-year
Vivian Lisboa as the Ducks reached match point. Lisboa paired with senior
Ava Smithing to reject a Misericordia attack to cement the victory. Lisboa finished with six kills and three blocks, while Smithing added five and four.
After the Cougars claimed the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match, the Ducks responded in a big way in the fourth, applying heavy pressure from the service line to post a 25-15 margin to force a fifth set. Junior
Madison Sappia led the efforts, notching four straight aces that helped the Ducks turn a 6-4 deficit into a 12-6 advantage.
The teams alternated the opening two sets. Misericordia raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening set and never trailed in claiming the first frame. In the second, the Ducks used a 6-0 run to take an 8-2 lead to even the match.
Inside the Numbers
- Despite the close scores in sets 2-4, the fifth set was the most contested as the teams combined for 12 ties and seven lead changes. Across the other sets, the teams only combined for just five ties and three lead changes.
- The Ducks held Misericordia to a negative attack percentage in the final two sets.
- Statistically, the Ducks turned in their best performance in the second set, hitting at a .333 clip. Conversely, the Cougars had their best statistical performance in the opening set, hitting .588.
- Misericordia finished with a 16-13 edge in aces, but each side served up 10 after the opening set. The Ducks finished with 13 aces for the second straight match and for the third time this season.
- The Cougars finished with a 9-8 edge in blocks, although the Ducks produced a 7-6 edge over the final four sets. Junior Meg Dion recorded a match-high five blocks. The junior middle also set down 10 kills and served two aces.
- Lisboa set down exactly six kills for the second straight match and for the fourth time this season.
- Sophomore Bailey Axelrad finished with a match-high 26 digs.
- The Ducks' current seven-match winning streak is one shy of the longest streak under head coach Brianna Jones. The Ducks had a pair of eight-match winning streaks in 2021.
Unsung Hero
- Graduate student Kathleen Riegner finished with a season-high 23 assists and also served up three aces.
Up Next
- Women's volleyball heads to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania for the two-day Juniata Invitational.
- The Ducks will open against the third-ranked Eagles before closing the event against Mary Washington and Messiah.
- The Ducks are 0-3 all-time against Juniata and the contest will be the first in Huntingdon since 2015.
- Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.
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