Allentown, Pa. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team took down Muhlenberg College and Vassar College in three sets on Saturday afternoon.

The Ducks (7-1) topped Muhlenberg (25-15, 25-22, 25-19) and Vassar (25-21, 25-21, 25-19).

HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens jumped out to a 7-3 lead over the Mules, including two kills from Meg Dion and an ace from Paulina Miller. The hosts closed to 14-10, but Miller anchored three straight points, including back-to-back kills from Ella Kraver and Vivian Lisboa. After Muhlenberg got two of the following three, Stevens reeled off seven of the final 10 points. During the spurt, Dion and Parker Adkins recorded two kills.

The Ducks fell behind in the second set before the period was tied at 6,7,8,9 and 10. Adkins put away four straight kills, and a kill from Cleo Shannon extended the gap to four at 14-10, forcing Muhlenberg into a timeout. The hosts fought back, forcing ties at 15,16, 18, 19, 20, and 21. After a service error gave Stevens the ball back, Molly Harris notched a kill from her setter position to make it 23-21. Muhlenberg got a side-out, but Shannon and Sarah Bolduc put down kills, giving Stevens the victory.

Stevens never trailed in the third stanza, pushing their advantage to 10-6 on an Adkins kill. An ace by Muhlenberg trimmed the gap to one at 15-14, but Stevens quickly responded with nine of the next 13 markers. Dion was the catalyst, notching three kills and a block with Bolduc. The hosts fought off three match points, but a service error gave Stevens the three-set win.

The Ducks led early against Vassar, but the score was level at 5,6,7,8,9,10, and 11 before Vassar scored three times for the 14-11 lead. Stevens got two points back including a double block from Lisboa and Elle Maggio. Vassar went up 20-16, but Gabbi Roberts and Liz Pederson recorded kills to make it 20-18. Vassar got the ball back on a missed serve, but Stevens registered the final seven points. Alexa Brucculeri had two aces, while Bolduc put down three kills and a block.

Consecutive kills from Bolduc and one from Pederson made it 10-7 in the second stanza in favor of Stevens. The Brewers rallied off the next seven markers, causing Stevens to call a timeout. The timeout paid dividends as the Ducks rolled off eight of the next 10, as Bolduc had three consecutive aces. Ella Kraver and Ella Boland put down three kills during a 4-0 run, and Boland's kill made it 25-21 and pushed Stevens up 2-0.

The back-and-forth third set was even early before the Ducks rattled off three straight points on kills from Boland and Bolduc and a block from Bolduc and Lisboa. The Brewers got within two at 18-16 before two kills from Lisboa and two aces from Bailey Axelrad extended the margin to six. The Ducks closed out the win as Vassar notched two straight unforced errors.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Ducks hit a blistering .340 (50-14-106) against Muhlenberg, their highest hitting percentage of the season.
• Adkins posted her second double-double of the season, going for 13 kills while matching a season-high with 11 digs.
• Dion had 12 kills against one error and added two blocks.
• Bolduc had 12 kills against Vassar, as Kraver added 10.
• Defensively, Liz Patterson picked up 13 digs against Vassar and 12 versus Muhlenberg.

FROM THE COURT
"Today was a great test for our resiliency as a team. We played two strong opponents who challenged us in different ways during each set. We had the opportunity to try new things and really utilize our depth. It's always fun to come out of a tri-match with two sweeps!" - Head Coach Macon Frey.

UP NEXT
The Ducks host a quad match on Friday and Saturday. They will face Wentworth Institute of Technology at 3 pm Friday before hosting Montclair State University at 7 pm.