Huskies Host St. Joseph's on Thursday (7:00 p.m.)

            LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior outside hitter Chandler McGrath (Seal Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 22 kills as the Bates College Bobcats pulled away late in all three sets for a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-20, 26-24) over the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies in non-conference volleyball action Tuesday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.

            The win was the first of the season for the Bobcats (1-4) after four straight losses to open the season.  The Huskies (4-4) fall back to .500 with the loss.

            McGrath had 10 kills in the opening set, and added six more in each of the final two sets, as the Bobcats compiled a .269 attack percentage (48-19-108).  Rookie Claire Naughton (Darien, Conn.) had eight kills, and sophomore Lisa Slivken (New York, N.Y./Fieldston School) and junior Nicole Peraica (East Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) had five kills apiece.

            Junior Hannah Tardie (Orange, Calif./Canyon) had 23 assists, and sophomore Jacqueline Forney (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) put up 17 helpers.  Tardie also had five of the Bobcats nine service aces.  Senior Laryssa Schepel (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) had two service aces and a match-high 14 digs.

            Sophomores Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) and Mo Raymond (Sanbornton, N.H.) combined for 19 kills for the Huskies.  Williamson had 10 kills on 22 attacks while Raymond put down nine balls on 29 attacks.  Rookie Nicole Schmitz (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) had 14 assists, and junior Megan Nilson (Granby, Conn.) had nine assists and eight digs.

            Bates used a 10-3 run, sparked by five kills from McGrath, in the opening set to overcome a one-point deficit (5-6) and open a six-point advantage (15-9).  The Bobcats traded points with the Huskies before winning four straight points to increase their lead to nine (21-12) and went on to win the opening set.

            The Huskies stayed even with the Bobcats through 36 points (18-18) in the middle set, but Slivken had two key kills and Schepel served two aces in a 7-2 run to take the set.

            Southern Maine, led Williamson, forced Bates to go into extra points in the decisive third set.  McGrath gave the home side a 25-24 lead before Naughton closed out the match with her eighth kill of the night.

            Southern Maine is back in action Thursday night (7:00 p.m.) when it hosts St. Joseph's College in a non-conference match.  Bates opens its conference schedule this Friday (8:00 p.m.) hosting Wesleyan University.

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