Emmanuel Upends Volleyball in Straight Sets

BOSTON – In the opening match of its Saturday GNAC tri-match at Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center, the Suffolk volleyball team fell in straight sets to the hosts Saints. The sweep came by set scores, 25-21, 25-14 and 25-11.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 0, Emmanuel 3
RECORDS: Suffolk (8-8, 1-3 GNAC) | Emmanuel (9-12, 5-0 GNAC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a closely contested first frame, which Emmanuel took, 25-21, the Saints cruised in the second and third sets, respectively, to keep their league ledger unblemished.  

Bridget Allison led Suffolk's attack with seven kills, while Chidera Nwankwo and Jessica Rexrode added five apiece. The trio was also the defense force for the Rams. Allison and Rexrode contributed eight and seven digs, respectively, while Nwankwo chipped in two blocks.  

SET ONE RECAP (25-21, EMMANUEL)

•  Emmanuel scored the first three points off the match, but the Rams put together a 3-0 spurt of its own capped off by an ace from Emma Feeney to tie the score at 3-all. 
•  A see-saw affair ensued and the Saints remained in front, 6-10. 
•  An ace from Heidy Barreiro kept the Rams within striking distance, 15-10. 
•  A 3-0 stretch followed by a 4-0 run, which feature a Nwankwo kill put Suffolk within one, 19-18. 
•  The Saints rallied out of their own timeout to regain a four-point edge, 23-19.
•  A powerful block from Nwankwo and Liz Kerek kept things interesting, but the Rams were held off down the stretch as the hosts took the set, 25-21, to take a 1-0 match lead.  

SET TWO RECAP (25-14, EMMANUEL)

• After a 4-4 tie, Emmanuel went off on a tangent outscoring Suffolk, 11-1, to lead the Rams by 10, 15-5. 
• The Saints kept the Rams at bay, holding a double digit lead for the majority of the frame to take the set, 25-14, and hold a 2-0 match advantage.  

SET THREE RECAP (25-11, EMMANUEL)

• Similar to the first two sets, the score tied at 3-3. 
• From there, Emmanuel doubled Suffolk's points, 12-6 and again at 16-8. 
• The Rams comeback attempt did not come as the Saints rolled to the 25-11 set win, sealing the sweep.  

NOTEWORTHY

• With her seven-kill effort, Allison led the Rams' offense for the ninth time this season. 

POST-MATCH PIC

NEXT UP
Suffolk closes its GNAC tri-match this afternoon versus Albertus Magnus. First serve is coming up at 2 p.m.