NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Saint Joseph's College (11-12, 4-4 GNAC) posted a come from behind 3-2 victory over Albertus Magnus College (13-12, 1-7 GNAC) to salvage a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) volleyball tri-match split at Albertus Magnus on Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Monks suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Rivier University (15-8, 8-2 GNAC).

RIVIER 3, SAINT JOSEPH'S 1 (25-14, 17-25, 25-23, 25-16)

Down 1-0, the Monks responded with one of their best hitting sets of the year, posting a .323 rate (12 kills in 31 attempts) en route to a 25-17 win and knotting the match at one apiece. In the third set, Saint Joseph's rallied from a five-point deficit with a 7-1 run and held a 23-22 lead before the Raiders closed out the frame with three unanswered points. With momentum in their favor, the Raiders employed a lethal .441 attack rate (18 kills on 34 attempts) in a 25-16 triumph.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sophomore Kelsey Bickford (Somersworth, N.H.) boasted a career-high 20 kills on 59 attempts with six digs
• Freshman Erin Olson (Stoughton, Mass.) added seven kills and a pair of block assists
• Senior Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) registered six kills and four digs
• Junior Sarah Dyer (Seacoast, N.H.) tallied 34 assists, eight digs, and two block assists
• Junior Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) picked up 26 digs
• Freshman Sophia Randall (Epping, N.H.) contributed 11 digs with a pair of aces

LEADERS – RIVIER:

• Taylor Dunster notched a double-double with 13 kills and 18 digs
• Emma Soucy recorded 11 kills and four total blocks
• Hayley Macken dealt 46 assists with three aces, four kills, and six digs
• Bethany Trevino added 17 digs and four assists

SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 2 (25-18, 21-25, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12)

After opening with a convincing and well-played seven-point win, the Monks' attack appeared to go into a funk with a negative hitting percentage over the following two sets collectively, with both resulting in setbacks. Facing a 2-1 deficit, St. Joe's broke free from a 17-17 tie with a 6-3 surge and escaped with a 25-22 triumph. Late in the deciding set, the Monks faced an 11-12 deficit but the Falcons committed three-consecutive errors and Bickford belted a kill to punctuate the comeback triumph.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Bickford posted 20 kills for the second-consecutive match
• Copp tallied 14 kills, six digs, and four total blocks
• Olson added nine kills and three total blocks
• Dyer recorded a double-double with 44 assists and 17 digs
• Thompson notched 41 digs

LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:

• Kimberly Keller boasted 23 kills with six total blocks
• Ashley David recorded 15 kills with 12 digs
• Genesis Cora Luquis chipped in with 12 kills and 15 digs
• Nicole Beard added 52 assists and 18 digs

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will play at Colby-Sawyer College Monday in a non-conference match scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM.

#GOMONKS

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.