Volleyball Holds Off Dean, 3-1

FRANKLIN, Mass. – Behind a career night from Chloe Clement, Suffolk volleyball rallied past Dean, 3-1, at Pieri Gymnasium. Clement had 14 kills on a .364 attack percentage in the Rams victory that came by set scores 27-25, 25-15, 23-25 and 25-21.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Dean 1
RECORDS: Suffolk (3-0-0) | Dean (1-1) 

SET ONE (27-25, SUFFOLK)

• In a set that featured 13 tied scores and eight lead changes, Suffolk came out on top 27-25. 
• Out of a 13-all tie, Suffolk scored four straight to grab a 17-13 edge, which forced Dean into its first timeout of the night. 
• The Rams managed to cling to the advantage out of the break and lead 20-17 when Morgan Kelsey served her first ace of the net. 
• The Bulldogs bounced back with a 6-1 spurt that put the blue-and-gold in a 23-21 hole. 
• See-saw action ensued Dean held onto the upperhand, 25-24 and Scott Blanchard used his second timeout of the set. 
• Out of the huddle, Chloe Clement and Jayla Martinez coupled back-to-back kills to regain the advantage for the Rams and Dean used its second timeout of the stanza. 
• Suffolk wasted no time to put it away as Clement knocked down her third kill of the night to lock up the opening frame. 
• Jasmine James had one third (5) of Suffolk's 15 kills in the opening set.  

SET TWO (25-15, SUFFOLK)

• With a one-point 6-5 gap, Suffolk went on 7-1 run to build a seven-point distance, 13-6.
• The Bulldogs battled back and pulled within two, 14-12. 
• Another Rams run came, this time in the form of a 5-1 spurt that turned it into 19-13 Suffolk. The stretch featured kills by Martinez and James and was capped off by a block by Sami Shore and Chloe Clement. 
• Dean used a timeout in the hopes to stop Suffolk's surge, but the Rams ran away with the frame by outscoring the host, 6-2. 

SET THREE (25-23, DEAN)

• Dean clung to the lead 14-12 at the midway point. 
• Suffolk used a break to stop the Bulldogs from breaking away, but the host leapt ahead by five, 21-16. 
• The Rams did pull back and took the lead thanks to a 7-1 stretch. That run saw two kills and a block from Grace Cervenka, as well as kills by Clement and Tatum Kalt. 
• Dean scored the final four sets of the frame to take the set, 25-23.  

SET FOUR (25-21, SUFFOLK))

• It was all Suffolk to get the fourth frame underway as the blue-and-gold jump ahead 17-9.
• Dean climbed back with six straight points to close the margin to a pair, 17-15. 
• The Rams rattled off four unanswered points of their own to restore a comfortable cushion, 21-15. 
• The Bulldogs refused to give up and clawed back to within three, 24-21. 
• Cervenka put the set and game away on the next rally with her 10th kill of the night.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Clement finished with a match-high 14 kills behind a .364 attack percentage. She added one dig and one block 
• Cervenka added 10 kills, four digs and a pair of blocks. 
• James provided eight kills and four digs. 
• Shore supplied seven kills, five digs, two assists, two ace and one block. 
• McKenna Keowen had a well-rounded performance with five kills, 16 digs, three aces and one handout. 
• Martinez finished with 22 assists, four digs, three kills and one ace. 
• Lanigan logged 19 assists, five aces, five digs and two kills. 
• Morgan Kelsey registered 24 digs, four assists and one ace.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk started the year 3-0 for the first time since 2016.  
• The meeting between Suffolk and Dean went longer than three sets for the first time in program history. 
• The Rams are now 3-0 all-time against the Bulldogs. 
• On the road, Suffolk sports a 2-0 mark versus Dean. 
• All matches in the Suffolk, Dean series, which started in 2022, have taken place in the Blanchard era. 
• Clement logged a career-high in kills (14) and attack percentage (.364). 
• Lanigan served a career-best five aces and notched a personal-best two kills.
• James matched a personal-high five digs. 
• Shore set a career-high five digs.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk opens its home schedule with a tri-match Saturday, Sept. 7 when it entertains Rutgers Newark and Eastern Connecticut State in Military Appreciation contests.