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The William and Mary volleyball team fell in a nail-biter in New Hampshire Friday evening, losing to Central Connecticut State 3-2 and only by a grand total of five points across the five-set marathon. The Tribe is 3-5 overall after Friday, while the Blue Devils improved to 4-4 on the year.
Box Score
Leading the way for W&M was sophomore hitter Manon Murray (Greensboro, N.C.), who had a season-best 18 kills while hitting .333, and added 16 digs and a pair of blocks for the double-double. Redshirt-sophomore Paulette Grand Pre (Laguna Beach, Calif.) had 11 kills, nine digs, and a team-best five blocks. She was matched in the block column by classmate Monika Stanciauskas (Wheaton, Ill.), who also had five kills.
Other notables on the offensive end included senior Shaylin O'Connell (Leesburg, Va.), who had nine kills on a .368 attack and a hand in four blocks. Junior Julia Swalchick (Melbourne, Fla.) had 10 kills along the right side, and helped on two blocks as well. Freshman Dessi Koleva (Torrance, Calif.) had a well-rounded night with seven kills, nine digs, three blocks, and a pair of service aces.
In the defensive and setting game, honors went to several more players. Senior captain Molly Krull (Raleigh, N.C.) had a double-double of 32 assists and 11 kills, and also matched Koleva with two aces. Sophomore setter Carolina Rivas (Orlando, Fla.) added on 18 assists, and also had seven digs. Redshirt-sophomore Devin Andrews-Lyssy earned the start at libero, and responded with 11 digs and the Tribe's fifth service ace.
The two teams traded sets to head to the tie-breaker, with W&M starting things off with a 26-24 win in the first. After CCSU claimed the second by a similar 25-23 margin, it was back to the Tribe to respond with a 25-21 victory. Facing elimination, the Blue Devils won the fourth 25-19 to send it into the short fifth set. It looked like CCSU had all the momentum on their side, especially after five straight points gave them an 11-5 lead, but the Tribe smashed their dreams of a quick win with a 7-1 run that knotted the score at 12-12. The first half of the run featured blocks by Grand Pre, Koleva, and freshman Carolyn Albright (Raleigh, N.C.), while the final three points were emphatic kills by the same trio. After the Blue Devils called a timeout, however, they were able to regroup and take the win with the final three points.
William and Mary returns to the court at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the first of two matches on the final day of the Holly Young Invitational. The Tribe will take on the Crusaders of Holy Cross (3-0 losers on Friday night) in the morning, and then have the full day to rest before facing the host New Hampshire Wildcats at 7 p.m.
Box Score
Leading the way for W&M was sophomore hitter Manon Murray (Greensboro, N.C.), who had a season-best 18 kills while hitting .333, and added 16 digs and a pair of blocks for the double-double. Redshirt-sophomore Paulette Grand Pre (Laguna Beach, Calif.) had 11 kills, nine digs, and a team-best five blocks. She was matched in the block column by classmate Monika Stanciauskas (Wheaton, Ill.), who also had five kills.
Other notables on the offensive end included senior Shaylin O'Connell (Leesburg, Va.), who had nine kills on a .368 attack and a hand in four blocks. Junior Julia Swalchick (Melbourne, Fla.) had 10 kills along the right side, and helped on two blocks as well. Freshman Dessi Koleva (Torrance, Calif.) had a well-rounded night with seven kills, nine digs, three blocks, and a pair of service aces.
In the defensive and setting game, honors went to several more players. Senior captain Molly Krull (Raleigh, N.C.) had a double-double of 32 assists and 11 kills, and also matched Koleva with two aces. Sophomore setter Carolina Rivas (Orlando, Fla.) added on 18 assists, and also had seven digs. Redshirt-sophomore Devin Andrews-Lyssy earned the start at libero, and responded with 11 digs and the Tribe's fifth service ace.
The two teams traded sets to head to the tie-breaker, with W&M starting things off with a 26-24 win in the first. After CCSU claimed the second by a similar 25-23 margin, it was back to the Tribe to respond with a 25-21 victory. Facing elimination, the Blue Devils won the fourth 25-19 to send it into the short fifth set. It looked like CCSU had all the momentum on their side, especially after five straight points gave them an 11-5 lead, but the Tribe smashed their dreams of a quick win with a 7-1 run that knotted the score at 12-12. The first half of the run featured blocks by Grand Pre, Koleva, and freshman Carolyn Albright (Raleigh, N.C.), while the final three points were emphatic kills by the same trio. After the Blue Devils called a timeout, however, they were able to regroup and take the win with the final three points.
William and Mary returns to the court at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the first of two matches on the final day of the Holly Young Invitational. The Tribe will take on the Crusaders of Holy Cross (3-0 losers on Friday night) in the morning, and then have the full day to rest before facing the host New Hampshire Wildcats at 7 p.m.
