Hoboken, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team earned a split on the opening day of its weekend quad match Friday from Canavan Arena.
The Ducks (5-5) swept Sarah Lawrence (25-19, 25-8, 25-13) to begin the day before falling to Springfield (22-25, 20-25, 21-25) to close it out.
HOW IT HAPPENED (vs. Sarah Lawrence)
Sarah Lawrence took five of the day’s first six points and maintained at least a two-point cushion until an 8-1 Stevens run leveled things at 15-all from a 14-7 deficit; Raeann Baker had a pair of aces and Alyssa O’Neal put away a pair of kills during the run. The Gryphons briefly took the lead back 16-15, but two Ella Boland kills keyed another run of five straight for the Ducks, seizing a 20-16 advantage. Sarah Lawrence got the next two back, but drew no closer down the stretch.
Flipping the script from the first set, Stevens jumped out front 10-2 in the second, thanks in large part to eight straight points with Alexa Brucculeri serving, including four service aces in a string of five points. The Ducks opened 11-point leads at 16-5 and 17-6, then reeled off eight straight to close out a frame in which they hit .533 as a team (nine kills on 15 total swings).
The Ducks briefly flirted with a perfect third set, reeling off the first 11 points. With Brucculeri picking up two more service aces during the spurt. Sarah Lawrence took the next two points, but pulled no closer than nine the rest of the way as Stevens closed out a dominant outing.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (vs. Sarah Lawrence)
- As a team, the Ducks recorded a season-high 14 service aces and a season-low five service errors, while hitting .303 — second highest mark of the year
- Ella Kraver had six kills with no errors
- Eva Tarolli recorded a season (and career)-high four total blocks
- Brucculeri finished with six aces and 11 digs – both career bests
- O’Neal set a pair of new career highs with nine kills and four digs
HOW IT HAPPENED (vs. Springfield)
The two sides remained close early on, neither team grabbing more than a three-point cushion until Springfield reeled off four straight for a 10-6 lead. The Ducks closed to within one at 10-9 and 11-10, finally working their way back to a tie at 18-all, then a 22-20 lead, but Springfield scored the final blow of the set, reeling off the final five points for the 1-0 lead; O’Neal finished the set with three kills, Boland finished with two.
Stevens scored the opening point of the second set but conceded the next five and 10 of the next 13. The Ducks kept the Pride from running away with the set, working the deficit back to four on three different occasions, but were unable to pull closer; Boland had three kills in the set, while Sarah Bolduc had two.
The third set started out much like the first, with neither side unable to grab an advantage of more than three points until, again, Springfield seized a 10-6 lead from what had been a 5-4 deficit. Stevens worked the deficit down to two points on four separate occasions, but the Pride turned a 13-11 score into 19-13, then held on as the Ducks closed all the way back to 23-21 before the Pride took the set’s (and evening’s) final two points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (vs. Springfield)
- O’Neal finished with seven kills and seven digs
- Brucculeri finished with two more aces, giving her eight for the day with just two service errors
UP NEXT
The Ducks wrap their portion of the quad tomorrow with a scheduled 1:30 start against Oneonta.
#AllRise
