EASTON, Mass. – Sophomore middle hitter
Maryellen Devic's seventh double-double of the season allowed The College of Saint Rose volleyball team to defeat
Northeast-10 Conference leader Stonehill in a five-set (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 23-25, 16-14) nail-biter Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium, and secure a fifth place seed heading into next week's league tournament.
Ranked eighth in the latest NCAA East Region poll, the Golden Knights (18-7 overall, 10-4 NE-10) handed the second-ranked Skyhawks (20-6, 11-3) just their third loss of the league season.
Saint Rose has not yet learned its opponent for the first round of single elimination play, which is set to begin on Tuesday at the highest ranked seeds.
Devic knocked down 16 kills and dug up 16 Stonehill attacks to lead the Golden Knights, followed by junior outside hitter
Kelsey Lace with 15 kills. Setters
Erica Ziskin and
Tori Daniels dished out 21 and 24 assists, respectively, and senior libero
Katy Daniels registered 23 digs for the defense. Junior right side
Carissa Dube put up a team-high five blocks, while freshman and sophomore middle hitters
Maddy Halverson and
Jennifer Gundrum recorded four apiece.
Saint Rose jumped out to a 15-13 lead in set one, but a six-point run from the Skyhawks put the Golden Knights behind and unable to catch back up.
Saint Rose got ahead again in the second, and did not hesitate to let up. Leading 18-13, the Golden Knights forced a Stonehill timeout, to which the Skyhawks came out of the break firing and brought the score to 21-20, in favor of Saint Rose. The Golden Knights maintained composure, and came out with the 25-22 win to tie the game at one overall.
In game three, the Golden Knights kept the Skyhawks at an arm's length as they held a steady lead, allowing them just 16 points throughout the set.
Unwilling to surrender without a fight, Stonehill fired back in game four. The Skyhawks battled back from a 14-8 deficit, and finally took the lead at the 23-22 mark. Saint Rose grabbed one more point before the 25-23 final, but was unable to pull out the win, bringing the match to 2-2.
The Golden Knights jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the fifth and final set. Stonehill called a timeout and followed with a five-point spurt to tie the game at 12-all. The game tied twice more after that, but an attack error from the Skyhawls and a kill from Dube sealed the win for Saint Rose.
