ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose women's volleyball team had two players reach double-figures in digs and put together a balanced offensive attack to knock off defending Northeast-10 Conference Champion UMass Lowell 3-1 (25-23, 11-25, 25-22, 25-21) this afternoon at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium. The Golden Knights also snapped a three-match skid against the River Hawks and improved to 4-2 at home this year.

Saint Rose (4-11/2-3 NE-10) captured its three sets by a combined 9 points in a tightly contested match. Senior middle hitter Kelly Ryan put the finishing touches on the afternoon with a thunderous kill that was initiated by junior setter Theresa Staulo. Ryan led the Golden Knights with 10 kills to go along with four blocks, while Staulo passed out 31 assists and collected seven kills of her own.

Junior outside hitter Sarah Kahrs and freshman defensive specialist Christina Strezenec quarterbacked the defensive unit for Saint Rose. Kahrs wound up with 17 digs and eight kills, while Strezenec contributed 14 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Kayleigh Quinn also made an impact with seven kills and a pair of digs.

UMass Lowell (7-6/2-1 NE-10) senior middle hitter Sarah Coscia chalked up a match-high 12 kills to go along with five blocks and three aces to pace the River Hawks. Meanwhile, sophomore setter Kristina Wiltjer recorded 28 assists and eight digs.

With things knotted 1-1, Saint Rose overcame a seven point, 13-6, deficit in the third set by embarking on a 19-9 run to walk away with a 25-22 triumph. The Golden Knights were aided by four UMass Lowell attack errors down the stretch that sandwiched a Ryan kill.

The fourth set saw Saint Rose race out to an 8-3 advantage it never relinquished. The River Hawks managed to cut their deficit to three, 24-21, but Ryan deposited a feed from Staulo to cap things.

The Golden Knights continue their season-long five-match homestand Wednesday night when they host upstate rival Le Moyne at 7:00 pm. Meanwhile, UMass Lowell is scheduled to meet the Dolphins tomorrow in a 1:00 pm league match in Syracuse.

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