GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's volleyball team started their season with a tough 3-1 loss to the Saint Joseph's College of Maine Monks on Tuesday evening in Gorham's Hill Gym. The Huskies won the third set 28-26 after dropping the first two sets. Saint Joseph's then pulled out a 25-22 win in the fourth set to take the match.
Freshman
Sofia Daoud (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) recorded a game-high 20 digs. Offensively, senior
Anyelis Hernandez (Lawrence, Mass.) led the Huskies with 11 kills, while sophomore
Reese Helisek (Halifax, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) recorded 15 assists. Each player played well defensively as well with Helisek logging nine digs and Hernandez recording seven.
The Records:
Saint Joseph's: 1-0
Southern Maine: 0-1
Series History:
This evening's game was the 87th meeting between the two schools. The Huskies lead the all-time series 51-36.
How It Happened:
- Saint Joseph's took the opening set 25-15 after opening the match on an 8-0 run. The Monks recorded 15 kills and four aces in the set.
- Southern Maine rallied early with a 4-0 run to tie the second set at 7-7 before the Monks answered with an 8-1 run to retake the lead. The Monks stayed ahead for the rest of the set to win 25-20.
- Down two sets to none, the Huskies fought back with a 28-26 win in the third set to extend the match. Hernandez had five of Southern Maine's 13 kills in the set.
- The Huskies started the fourth set on a 5-0 run before the Monks were able to claw their way back and take a 10-9 lead. The Huskies tied the set with the next point, but never took the lead back despite tying the score seven times over the final stretch. Saint Joseph's took the set 25-22, thanks largely to back-to-back aces by Addison Thomas, to win the match 3-1.
Inside The Stats:
- Saint Joseph's led 21-9 in service aces and 48-36 in kills.
- Each team had 51 digs.
- The Huskies had a slight 5-4 lead in blocks. Sophomores Haylie Bidegain (Logan, N.M.) and Lizzy Harbester (Plympton, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) each a solo block and two block assists.
- Junior Alexis Tortola (Rowland Heights, Cali./Bishop Amat) recorded 10 assists to rank second on the team.
Up Next:
The Huskies will host the Maine Invitational on Friday and Saturday with the University of New England, Maine Maritime Academy and Dean College coming to Gorham to participate. The Huskies will face Dean on Friday at 4:00 pm in Hill Gym.
-rwd-
