Nov. 3, 2011

Box Score

NASHUA, N.H. - The second-seeded Rivier College Raiders cruised to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) sweep of the third-seeded Emmanuel Saints in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal played in the Muldoon Fitness Center on Wednesday night. With the win, Rivier improved to 21-13 overall and earned a chance to play for the GNAC Championship on Saturday. This will be the Raiders' 9th appearance in the GNAC Championship in the past 11 years. With the loss, Emmanuel dropped to 21-15 and the Saints will hope to secure a bid to the ECAC Tournament next week.

The Raiders got off to a fast start in the first set, as they held a 9-5 lead. Emmanuel would battle back as the Saints rallied for a 7-1 run to knot things up at 11 points apiece. After a service error gave Rivier the lead and the ball, both junior Kenna Finlayson (Derry, N.H.) and sophomore Nicole Peacock (Warwick, R.I.) laced consecutive kills to pace the Raiders to a set ending 13-3 run. Finlayson was the heavy hitter in the first set as she recorded 8 kills. Peacock added 4 as did sophomore Nicole Boucher (Windham, N.H.).

Rivier continued the hot hand as the team switched sides for the 2nd set. The Raiders got out to a quick six point lead (10-4) before the Saints began to fight back in. Strong serving by the hosts caused the Saints to struggle to play the ball cleanly and Emmanuel had difficulty setting up their attack. The Saints were able to trim the deficit to three as they went point for point with Rivier. With the score at 20-16 in favor of the home team, senior Emileigh Cenedella (Townsend, Mass.) fired a laser to the floor for her third kill of the set which propelled the Raiders to a 25-18 victory in set 2. Finlayson continued to rack up the kills as she slammed down six more in the second stanza.

Trailing by two sets, the Emmanuel College Saints refused to quit. They jumped out to a 10-4 lead on the Raiders highlighted by the play of senior Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio). Ross and fellow seniors Rebecca Stanton (Quincy, Mass.) and Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.) provided pivotal sparks in the six point lead. However, the relentless Raiders fought back with a 12-3 run and took a 16-13 lead over the Saints. Emmanuel then regained composure and managed to knot the set at 18-all. Rivier then went on a 3-0 run and forced an Emmanuel timeout at 21-18. Out of the timeout, Finlayson unleashed three-straight service aces to earn Rivier's first of two match points. Stanton slammed one down to delay the inevitable and then Boucher ended it with a kill at 25-19 and took the 3-0 win.

Finlayson finished the game with 17 kills, 5 service aces and 2 digs. Peacock was right behind her with 12 kills and 2 solo blocks while Boucher had 10 kills. Senior Lauren Saccoccio (Warwick, R.I.) continues to guide the team as she had 37 assists. Cenedella was the team leader in digs with 11.

For the Saints, Stanton led the team with 7 kills and 3 solo blocks. Olsen recorded 15 assists to go along with 4 digs, while Ross finished with 6 kills and 14 digs. Junior libero Yun-Tung Lee (Cambridge, MA) contributed with 9 digs in the loss.

The win for the Raiders is their 10th in a row and 16th since October 1st when Saccoccio returned to the lineup.

The 2nd seeded Raiders will travel to Boston where they will invade the home of the top seeded Emerson College Lions on Saturday afternoon (1pm start) for the GNAC Championship.

The Saints will now wait to hear about the possibility of an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament bid. The ECAC Tournament begins next Wednesday, November 9th.

- Courtesy of Rivier College Sports Information