BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College Monks defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies on Friday night at the Coast of Maine Classic in Biddeford, Maine at the campus of the University of New England. The game was the first of the season for both teams.
 
Sophomore Ella Koehler (Pickerington, Ohio/Fairfield Christian Academy) logged a double-double with 11 kills and a game-leading 11 digs. Her 11 kills led the Huskies and tied with Greta Mackintosh for the most in the game. Freshman Reese Helisek (Halifax, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) posted a team-leading 13 assists followed by sophomore Macie Ahmer (Lake Villa, Ill./Grayslake North) with 10. Helisek also had six digs while Ahmer added five.
 
The Records:
Southern Maine: 0-1
Saint Joseph's: 1-0
 
Series History:
This evening's game was the 86th meeting between the local rivals. The Huskies lead the all-time series 51-35. The Monks defeated the Huskies 3-0 at last season's Coast of Maine Classic before the Huskies earned a 3-1 win at home for a series split.
 
How It Happened:

• The opening set was the closest in the match at 25-22. The Monks broke a 15-15 with a 7-1 run to pull ahead and held on despite a late rally by the Huskies that featured a pair of Koehler kills.
• Southern Maine started the second set with a 4-0 run on their way to a 7-4 lead before the Monks countered with seven consecutive points. The Huskies hung around but ultimately fell 25-17 to go down two sets to none.
• The Monks scored the first three points of the third set and never lost the lead to take the set 25-18.

Inside The Stats:

• Saint Joseph's led 44-25 in kills and 7-4 in aces. Katie Albritton recorded 23 assists for the Mariners while Ahmer had 10 for the Huskies.
• Freshman Haylie Bidegain (Logan, N.M.) was second on the team in kills with five. Sophomore  

 
Up Next:
The 2025 Coast of Maine Classic continues tomorrow with the Huskies facing the University of New England at 10:00 am and Maine Maritime Academy at 2:00 pm.