HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 1, 2023) – Junior Cleo Shannon totaled 29 kills across two matches as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team swept Union College (25-18, 25-17, 25-21) and downed Catholic University in four sets (22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-21) Friday to open the 2023 Stevens Invitational at Canavan Arena.

Senior Meg Dion amassed nine blocks and classmate Liz Patterson served up six aces for the Ducks, who opened 2-0 for the second time in the last three seasons. The victories marked the first career wins for first-year head coach Macon Frey.

Shannon McGrath had seven kills to pace the Garnet Chargers offense, who defeated Defiance College in the middle contest of Friday's three-match slate, to finish play 1-1. Stevens improved to 4-1 against Union. Olivia Blondin set down 12 kills to pace Catholic, who closed play 0-1 and dropped to 0-3 all-time against Stevens.

The Rundown

• Union struck first in all three sets, only for Stevens to string together several lengthy runs to close out the sweep, including a pair of 7-1 stretches that broke open the first and second sets. 
• Stevens was dominant from the service line in the opening match, serving up 13 aces against the Garnet Chargers, while also not committing a service error. The strong serves continued in the second match as the Ducks maintained a 7-3 edge over Catholic.
• It was Union that seemed poised to claim the final set, twice opening three-point leads in the early stages only for the Ducks to even the frame. Four unanswered Union points handed the guests their largest lead of the game at 16-11 only for a pair of Patterson aces and kills from Dion and junior Parker Adkins drew the Ducks back to within one. Kills from three different players sparked another four-point swing that saw Stevens grab a 20-18 lead and consecutive aces from first-year Molly Harris closed out the victory.
• As they did in their 2021 meeting, Catholic grabbed the opening set via a 25-22 margin only for the Ducks to storm back to claim the match. The second set proved pivotal as the Ducks turned in their best offensive performance of the day, committing just three attack errors, while producing a .394 hitting percentage, while nearly forcing Catholic into as many errors (6) as kills (9). An impressive 9-0 broke the set open and an emphatic block from Shannon and sophomore Mallory Eder closed out the frame.
• The Ducks fell behind early in the third set but found their footing late, with senior Madison Sappia on the service line, reeling off six unanswered points to take control of the frame. Shannon set down consecutive kills and Adkins fired an ace to close out the set.
• Stevens closed out its second consecutive victory with another sustained run, going on a 6-0 run to claim a 16-11 lead. Four different players scored during the sequence. Catholic scored three straight after both teams crossed the 20-point plateau to threaten a fifth set, but the Ducks responded with five consecutive points – three coming on Catholic errors – to round out a 2-0 day.

Top Performers

• Shannon matched a career high with 20 kills in the victory over Catholic. The Charlotte, North Carolina product also set down 20 in a five-set win over DeSales on 9/13/22.
• Adkins knocked down 12 kills against the Cardinals for her 16th career double-digit kill performance. 
• The Ducks' 13 aces against Catholic marked the sixth time with 13 or more since the start of the 2022 season. 
• Sophomore Paulina Miller helped key a balanced defensive effort. The Roswell, Georgia native amassed 27 digs across the seven sets to lead five players with at least 11.
• The matches marked the collegiate debuts for Harris and classmate Liz Pederson, while Eder drew her first career start against Catholic.
• Harris and Patterson each served up four aces against Union. For Patterson, that matched a career high (9/22/01 vs. King's and 10/6/21 at Wilkes)
• Dion's nine blocks moved her career total to 230.

For the Opponents

• Union's Keara Page (4) and Catholic's Grace Guerin (5) led their respective teams in blocks.
• The Ducks and Cardinals combined for 22 ties and 13 lead changes.
• Blondin was the only opposing player to reach double figures in kills.
• Union's Sydney Sheppard had an opponent-high 33 assists. Sophomore Gabbi Roberts paced Stevens for the day with 28 against Catholic and 16 against Union.

Around the MAC Freedom

• United States Coast Guard Academy 3, Lebanon Valley 0
• Misericordia 3, Centenary 1
• Augsburg 3, Lebanon Valley 0
• King's 3, Penn College 1
• FDU-Florham 3, John Jay 2
• Clarkson 3, DeSales 1
• Arcadia 3, Bryn Mawr 0
• Misericordia 3, Moravian 0

Coaches Comments

• "I am really happy with how our team came together tonight and competed in both matches. We are working on new systems both offensively and defensively and have been working to find our chemistry on the court. We competed hard regardless of the score, and it resulted in the wins we achieved tonight. We are prepared and excited for tomorrow!" - head coach Macon Frey

Up Next

• Stevens closes out its invitational with the first-ever meeting with Defiance College Saturday afternoon at 1:30. The Yellow Jackets fell to Union in Friday's neutral-site contest. Links for live stats and video are available at StevensDucks.com.

Athletic Department Social Media
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
X (Formerly Twitter): @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks

Women's Volleyball Social Media
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Women's Volleyball         
X (Formerly Twitter): @stevens_vball
Instagram: @stevenswomens_volleyball

#AllRise