Sept. 19, 2009

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Women's Volleyball Team opened up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play by upsetting Rivier College in a thrilling 5-set nailbiter. The Saints battled back from being down two sets to the defending GNAC Champions to take a 3-2 match win. The win for Emmanuel improves the Saints to 3-4 on the season. With the loss, the Raiders, who were chosen the pre-season favorites to win the GNAC, fell to 3-7 overall.

Rivier exploded out of the blocks and charged out to a 9-0 lead in the opening set. Emmanuel only managed 11 points in the opener and dropped the first set, 25-11. The Raiders took the second set, 25-17, for a 2-0 match lead. The pivotal third set went to the Saints, who rallied back as sophomore setter Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.) rattled off four straight points, to put Emmanuel up, 21-17. Emmanuel allowed just two more Raider points and ended the set with a 25-19 win.

A hard-fought fourth set went to the Saints, 25-20, and tied the match at 2-2. The fifth and deciding set ping-ponged back and forth with neither team going ahead by more than two points. The thriller ended with an incredible solo block from Rebecca Stanton (Quincy, Mass.), as Emmanuel nipped Rivier, 15-13, to take the 3-2 match win.

Stanton led the Saints with 15 kills and 2 solo blocks. Sophomore Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio) added 7 kills to go along with her team-high 20 digs. Senior Diana Grimaldi (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and junior Megan Murray (Killingworth, Conn.) combined for 11 kills and 20 digs. Freshman Samantha Andazola (Queen Creek, Ariz.) gathered 19 digs, while Olsen collected 32 assists, 9 digs, and 4 kills in a solid all-around effort.

The Emmanuel victory was the debut for the GNAC tri-match played in the Jean Yawkey Center. In the second match of the day, Rivier rallied to defeat Mount Ida College in straight sets, 25-11, 25-19, 25-19. Emmanuel then ended the day with a 3-1 win over Mount Ida, 25-12, 15-25, 25-20, 25-16.

The Saints are now 4-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. Emmanuel will play again on Tuesday night in an non-conference match at Eastern Nazarene College beginning at 7pm.