Women's Volleyball Cruises to 3-1 Victory Over MCLA

DUDLEY, MASS. – Suffolk women's volleyball capped off its Saturday slate at the Bison Tri-Match with a strong showing, powering past non-conference opponent MCLA in four sets inside the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Rams continued where they left off in the morning with set victories of 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, and 25-17.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | MCLA 1
RECORDS: Suffolk 9-14 | MCLA 14-5

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The blue-and-gold trailed 15-10 early in the opening frame before cutting the deficit to one at 17-16 behind kills from Aislinn Campbell and Chloe Clement. MCLA responded by extending its lead to 22-18, but the Rams continued to battle as Emily Norgrove notched back-to-back kills to make it 24-23. Despite the late push, Suffolk couldn't complete the comeback as the Trailblazers closed out the set, 25-23.
• The second set saw both sides trade points early, remaining even at 10-10. Three MCLA errors helped Suffolk grab a 14-11 edge, but the Trailblazers rallied to tie things at 15. From there, the Rams caught fire with a 10-3 run, fueled by two Norgrove kills along with strikes from Campbell and Clement, to take the set 25-18.
• Suffolk carried its momentum into the third, racing out to an 8-3 lead behind three early kills from Clement. The Rams widened the gap to 16-6 in part to two service aces from Aislinn Lanigan during a five-point run. Balanced offense down the stretch, with kills from four different Rams, sealed a 25-17 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
• In the fourth, a service ace from Chloe Burns helped Suffolk jump ahead 5-1. Clement added a kill and ace to stretch the advantage to 10-4, before Grace Cervenka joined the ace parade to make it 14-5. Sami Shore and Emmy Thomander chipped in with two kills apiece to close out the frame as the Rams cruised to a 25-17 set win and the match.

 STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Clement and Norgrove each produced 12 kills to lead the Suffolk attack.
• Lanigan dished out 22 assists and added three service aces.
• Cervenka tallied four kills and tied for the team lead with three total blocks.
• Thomander chipped in three kills and four block assists.
• Mo anchored the defense with 10 digs, while Clement added 14 to complete a strong two-way effort.

 NOTEWORTHY

•  The match served as the first meeting between Suffolk and MCLA.
• Norgrove produced a career-best 10 digs and recorded her first collegiate double-double.
• Emma Welch notched her first career kill.

 WHAT'S NEXT?

Suffolk returns home to Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Wednesday, Oct. 22 to host Curry in a CNE contest at 7:00 p.m.