BOSTON, Mass. - Women's Volleyball (16-3, 8-0 GNAC) continued its strong season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Saint Joseph's College of Maine (11-9, 5-3 GNAC) in four sets at the Jean Yawkey Center. The Saints took the opening two sets decisively before weathering a strong push from the Monks in the third and fourth frames to secure the 3-1 victory (25-11, 25-11, 20-25, 28-26).
Emmanuel came out firing in the opening set, using a balanced offensive attack and aggressive serving to establish control early. The Saints built a commanding lead behind contributions from across the lineup, with
Letitia Bossou and
Ayla Evans leading the charge at the net. Emmanuel continued to apply pressure throughout the frame, closing out a dominant 25-11 win.
The Saints carried that momentum into the second set, once again holding the Monks to just 11 points. Emmanuel's defense made life difficult for the visitors, while the offense continued to find openings. Strong blocking and consistent play helped the Saints create separation, once again taking the set with a score of 25-11.
Saint Joseph's responded with a tremendous effort in the third set, refusing to let the match slip away. The Monks found their rhythm offensively and began challenging the Saints at the net, turning a competitive start into a late-set advantage. Despite Emmanuel's attempts to close the gap, Saint Joseph's maintained its composure and made no mental errors as they took the third set, 25-20, to force a fourth.
With momentum on the visitors' side, the fourth set delivered an intense, back-and-forth battle. Saint Joseph's continued to fight for every point, while Emmanuel answered with timely kills and key defensive plays. The Monks managed to build a lead midway through the frame, putting pressure on the Saints to respond. Emmanuel stayed within striking distance, battling through long rallies and trading points as the set tightened late.
The closing stretch brought plenty of fireworks, with both teams refusing to give an inch. Every point carried added significance as the teams exchanged crucial kills and defensive stops, pushing the set beyond the standard 25-point mark. With the score tied late, Emmanuel delivered when it mattered most, stringing together the final points to earn a hard-fought 28-26 victory and seal the match.
Bossou paced the Saints with a match-high 18 kills while hitting an impressive .533, adding four total blocks. Evans contributed 14 kills and three service aces, while Davis made a major impact at the net with six total blocks.
Kason Huynh and
Kennedy Horne combined for 42 assists, with Huynh recording 23 and Horne adding 19. Defensively,
Sofia Petrucci led all players with 24 digs.
As a team, Emmanuel finished with 51 kills, 12 service aces and 11 total blocks, while hitting .290. The Saints also held the Monks to a .114 hitting percentage, showcasing their defensive strength throughout the four-set contest.
The Saints will look to remain perfect in conference play when they travel across Brookline Ave Wednesday for a matchup with the Simmons Sharks. This GNAC conference clash will be underway at 7:00 PM from the Holmes Sports Center.
