NEWPORT, R.I. - Women's Volleyball got off to a hot start in Newport on Thursday night, but it proved to not be enough, falling to 2-2 on the year at the hands of Salve Regina. The Saints held a 24-20 advantage late in the second before the Seahawks (1-5) went on a stunning 6-0 run to steal the set, and the momentum, propelling them to a 3-1 victory.
The Saints kicked off the match with the Seahawks on a high note, starting with an 8-3 run, highlighted by a big block from Junior
Letitia Bossou. Emmanuel was able to feed off the Salve mistakes, as the hosts recorded eight errors to go along with eight kills in the set. A loud kill from
Ayla Evans, followed by a Salve error, put the finishing touches on a 25-17 set win for the Saints.
The second frame started with more of the same, as two kills by first year
Brianna Quinlan highlighted a 5-0 sprint at the start. With the visiting Emmanuel holding a 9-6 advantage, the Seahawks started to find their groove, scoring nine of the next ten points to flip the script and take a 15-10 advantage. The Saints would counter, taking a 24-20 lead, before letting the set slip away, as Salve Regina used a 6-0 run to knot the match up.
With the score knotted up at 18 all in the third frame, another late run from the Seahawks would decide the set, as a 5-0 run gave the hosts a 23-18 advantage. Salve Regina ended up taking the set by a score of 25-22.
The momentum on Salve Regina's side appeared to be too much, as the fourth frame ended up being the most lopsided. The Seahawks polished off a 3-1 match victory with a 25-18 win in the fourth set.
Bossou led the team in kills again with 17, followed by senior
Kason Huynh with nine. Huynh also recorded 21 assists on the day, adding to her illustrious Saints career as she surpassed the 2,000 career assist mark earlier in the week.
Women's volleyball will continue their season-opening road trip on Saturday when they travel to Mitchell College, with a noon first serve.
