HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 24, 2022) – Junior
Elle Maggio set down 13 kills on 20 swings to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team to a sweep of Brooklyn College Saturday as part of the Red & Gray Invitational at Canavan Arena.
The decisive victory over the Bulldogs (25-17, 25-11, 25-15) capped a perfect weekend for the Ducks. Stevens defeated Farmingdale State College in four sets (25-22, 26-24, 24-26, 25-19) in the first match of the day and topped Manhattanville College on the road Friday. Stevens closed play with a 12-4 record and the Ducks have won each of their last five matches.
Kalena Ricketts finished with a match-high 18 kills to lead the Rams, who fell to Manhattanville in the second of the day. Farmingdale State, who fell to 1-7, has dropped four straight. Manhattanvile also swept Brooklyn College to finish competition with an 8-2 record. Brooklyn returns to the Big Apple with a 6-6 record. Tessa Winkleman set down seven kills against Stevens to lead Brooklyn's offensive.
Maggio was efficient from the point of attack against Broolyn, finishing with a .550 hitting percentage (13-2-20). Sophomore
Cleo Shannon added 11 kills as the pair were the only players on either side to reach double figures in kills. Maggio began the match with eight kills in the opening set, before adding three more in the second set and three in the third. The Denver, Colorado native ranks third on the team with 107 kills and fifth in the MAC Freedom with a .278 hitting percentage.
The Ducks scored the initial points in both the first and second sets. Senior
Ava Smithing registered the first point of the contest, driving an
Enkhsanaa Enkhbayar set into the middle of the Brooklyn defense.
The Ducks maintained their lead throughout the opening set, with the Bulldogs only able to draw even at two and then eight. Late in the opening set, Stevens scored six unanswered points to break the frame open - five of which came with junior
Meg Dion at the serve. First-year
Gabbi Roberts fed Maggio for three straight kills and the Ducks closed out the first set with the aforementioned pair connecting for the fourth time.
Stevens used its momentum from the opening set over into the second set. Shannon scored the first point of the second set after successfully converting an Enkhbayar set. The Ducks opened up an 11-point lead before Brooklyn finally got on the board and in a set where the Ducks never trailed, Shannon and Enkhbayar partnered for three of the final points to close out the set.
It was Brooklyn that took an early lead in the final set before Stevens went on a 5-1 run to take control of the set. The Bulldogs clawed back into the set, tying the frame at eight, but three unanswered points put Stevens in front for good. The Ducks scored nine of the final 11 points to post their fifth sweep of the season.
The short-order victory over the Bulldogs capped a day that saw Farmingdale State play some of its best volleyball of the season in battling the Ducks through four tough sets. Although Stevens would go on to claim the first and second sets, the Ducks needed to rally against a spirited Farmingdale State side. In fact, the Rams were the first team to reach the 20-point plateau in each of the first three sets.
The teams combined for 35 ties and 15 lead changes across the four sets. Stevens ultimately secured the victory by hitting .400 in the final set and a double block from Maggio and Dion closed out the match.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens hit a blistering .400 in the final set against Farmingdale State, but was even better in the second set against Brooklyn - the Ducks set down 17 kills on 31 assists with just one error to finish a remarkable .516.
- Both Stevens and Farmingdale served 11 aces. Dion had four to lead the Ducks, while Enkhbayar, Roberts and junior Liz Patterson each had two. Graduate student Kathleen Riegner matched a season-high with four aces against Brooklyn.
- One day after setting a career high with 10 blocks against Manhattanville, Dion rejected seven attacks against Farmingdale and five more against Brooklyn.
- Stevens held Brooklyn to an equal number of kills (17) and attack errors (17).
- Patterson totaled 14 kills against Farmingdale - the most of any Duck across the two matches.
- Sophomore Bailey Axelrad totaled 32 digs across the two matches.
Unsung Hero
- Roberts finished the day with 30 assists and only committed one setting error in 66 chances.
Up Next
- Women's volleyball returns to the court on Sept. 27, heading to Madison, New Jersey for a MAC Freedom tilt with FDU-Florham.
- The Ducks have won the last six meetings between the programs, including four sweeps.
- Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise
