Women’s Volleyball Powers Past Mount Holyoke, 3-1

Box Score

CHICOPEE, MA – Elms College sophomore outside hitter Stacy Croteau (Agawam, MA) downed a collegiate-career high 20 kills and added a match-best 19 digs to help propel the Blazers to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 18-25, 25-23) win over Mount Holyoke in Thursday evening’s non-conference women’s volleyball match at Leary Field.

With the win, Elms snaps a nine-match losing skid to improve to 3-10 overall. The Blazers also earned their first-ever victory against the Lyons, ending a 10-match drought that dates back to 2003. Mount Holyoke moves to 2-5 on the season following the loss.

With Elms leading 2-1 in the contest, the squads fought to a 22-22 deadlock in the fourth set before Anne Norton (Westfield, MA) delivered a service ace to put the Blazers on top 23-22. A kill by Mount Holyoke’s Tyler Protano-Goodwin (Shutesbury, MA) evened the stanza at 23-23 before back-to-back kills by senior middle hitter Melissa Clark (Chicopee, MA) and sophomore outside hitter Jen Rego (Fall River, MA) sealed the frame and the match for Elms.

Rego posted a triple-double in the match, finishing with 10 kills, 13 assists and 17 digs. Clark struck for eight kills and collected 16 digs in the winning effort.

Elms coasted to a 22-14 lead in the opening set before Mount Holyoke rallied for three straight points, cutting the lead to five at 22-17. Clark and freshman outside hitter Christina Martin (Chicopee, MA) knocked down a kill each to extend the lead to 24-17 before a kill by the Lyons’ Kathryn Brummer (Massapequa Park, NY) and a pair of Blazer miscues brought the score to 24-20. From there, Elms claimed the set on a Mount Holyoke attacking error.

The second stanza saw back and forth action before Croteau was able to close it out with her fifth termination of the frame.

Mount Holyoke rallied in the third set, using a 9-2 run to break a 16-16 tie and force a fourth set.

Senior setter Kim Phillips (Randolph, MA) was solid running the Elms attack, dishing out 31 assists and adding 16 digs. Martin rounded out the Blazers’ five players to record double-digit digs, accumulating 11 in the winning effort.

Mount Holyoke received a 10-kill, 13-dig effort from Rosa Marruffo (Tulsa, OK), while Kateryna Kuc (New Haven, CT) matched Phillips in assists with 31. Kuc chipped in 12 digs as well, while Brummer led the squad with 16.

Elms returns to Picknelly Arena on Saturday, Sept. 26 when it hosts UMass-Dartmouth in a non-conference match. First-serve is slated for 3:00 p.m.