Haverford, Pa. –
Alyssa O'Neal recorded a match-high 22 kills, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team was edged by Haverford College 3-2 on Saturday.
The Ducks (10-2) fell 19-25, 25-15, 24-26, 25-20, 16-18 in the five-set thriller.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens scored the first two points of the opening set before Haverford responded with five straight to take a 6-3 advantage. The Ducks battled back and used kills from O'Neal and
Alexa Brucculeri to move in front 12-11, but Haverford answered with seven consecutive points to build an 18-12 lead. Stevens later pulled within two at 20-18 on a block from
Ella Boland and
Kileen McNeill, but Haverford scored five of the final six points to take the opening frame 25-19.
The Ducks responded quickly in the second set. With Stevens ahead 5-3, the Ducks scored eight of the next 10 points to open a 13-5 advantage.
Cadence Sturt capped the stretch with a service ace before Stevens continued to pull away. O'Neal recorded two kills and
Eva Tarolli added another during a four-point spurt that extended the advantage to 19-7. Haverford trimmed the deficit to eight, but Stevens maintained control before McNeill put away the final kill for a 25-15 victory to even the match.
The third set featured numerous ties as neither side was able to create significant separation. Stevens trailed 16-13 before rallying to pull even at 16 on a Sturt service ace. The Ducks later used a Boland ace and an O'Neal kill to move ahead 19-18 before the teams continued to trade points. With the score tied at 21, O'Neal put Stevens ahead with a kill before the Ducks eventually reached set point at 24-23. Haverford answered with the final three points, however, to take the frame 26-24 and regain the match lead.
Stevens answered again in the fourth. After Haverford moved ahead 8-5, Boland sparked the Ducks' response with a kill. Stevens later erased a 9-8 deficit with eight consecutive points behind the serving of Sturt, who recorded an ace during the run, while
Sarah Bolduc and Boland each put away kills to give the Ducks a 16-9 advantage. Haverford cut the deficit to one at 18-17, but O'Neal followed with a kill before Bolduc delivered a service ace to extend the margin back to four. A double block by McNeill and O'Neal brought up set point before Boland closed out the 25-20 victory with a kill to force a deciding fifth set.
Stevens carried the momentum into the fifth and jumped ahead 10-6 behind kills from O'Neal, McNeill, Boland and
Taylor Larsen. Haverford responded with five of the next six points to pull even at 11 before O'Neal put the Ducks back in front with a kill. The teams continued to trade points, with Boland giving Stevens match point at 14-13 and again at 15-14. After Haverford tied the set at 15, Boland delivered another kill to put the Ducks ahead 16-15. Haverford answered once more, however, scoring the final three points to take the deciding frame 18-16 and the match 3-2.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- O'Neal's 22 kills led all players, while Boland finished with 17 kills against just four errors on 38 attempts.
- Bolduc added seven kills, while McNeill totaled six kills to go along with six blocks.
- Brucculeri posted a double-double with 49 assists and 21 digs.
- Defensively, Lianna Schmieder collected 24 digs to lead the way.
UP NEXT
The Ducks host Misericordia University in their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom home opener on Tuesday, with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m.
