BOSTON – Emmanuel women's volleyball picked up their seventh straight win on Wednesday night after a straight sets sweep of the Fitchburg State Falcons (26-24, 25-21, 25-21) on Yosinoff Court in non-conference play. The seven-game Saints winning streak is the longest since 2014 when Emmanuel posted seven in a row from Oct. 4 through Oct. 21.

The Saints are up to 7-2 and haven't lost since Sept. 6. Throughout the winning streak, the Saints are 5-0 against non-conference teams. Fitchburg State is still seeking their first win of the season as they slide to 0-6.

The opening set was poised to go in Fitchburg State's favor, as they controlled most of the set, all the way to a 19-14 lead. But the Saints dug themselves out of the deficit, breaking out with an 8-0 run, including three points for first-year Madison Sherman and two points for rookie Amber Hong. The Falcons battled back to tie the set, but the final two points favored the Saints, capped off by a kill for junior Isabella Marquez, giving the Saints a 26-24 set win.

Despite a close final score in the second set, Emmanuel dominated the play, winning 13 of the first 16 points in the set. Regardless of the early lead, the Falcons fought all the way back to a two-point deficit, late in the set at 23-21. But like the first set, the final two points belonged to the Saints after an Emmanuel combo block and Fitchburg attack error led the Saints to a 25-21 set win.

The final set came down to a series of runs as Emmanuel looked set for a runaway third frame, after a four-point string gave them an 18-10 lead. Fitchburg State made another stand, winning five-straight of their own to pull back to 18-15. But the Saints answered back with another four-point run, leaving room for the straight sets win. The Falcons defended three match points, but a final Fitchburg service error ended the set and match in favor of the Saints.

Marquez finished with a match-best 11 kills to go along with six digs. First-year Letitia Bossou added a career-high 10 kills while hitting .269 from the floor. Hong and Sherman each had six kills while first-year Payton Stupavsky had a match-high 20 digs.

For the Falcons, senior Samantha Mirra and junior Stephanie Sardella each finished with 10 kills. Junior Gabrielle Griffiths added five kills while hitting .444 for the floor.
The Saints have a week off before returning to action on Tuesday, Sept. 24, hosting Framingham State for a 7:00 p.m. match. The Falcons head to Mount Holyoke on Thursday, Sept. 19, for a 7:30 p.m. match.