BIDDEFORD, Maine – University of New England (4-7) staved off numerous comeback efforts to defeat Saint Joseph's College (3-7), 3-2 (25-19, 25-27, 25-19, 20-25, 16-14) in a hotly-contested non-conference women's volleyball match on Thursday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

In a match that featured 13 lead changes and 29 tie scores, the decision came down to a seesaw fifth set that saw the in-state rivals fight through 13 ties. Neither team earned more than a one-point edge in the deciding set until the Nor'easters grabbed a 14-12 lead on an SJC error and a Stephanie Erickson service ace.

The Monks fought back with two points as a Maggie Sylvester (Barrington, N.H.) ace knotted the set at 14-14, but the hosts emerged victorious with a Mia Martel kill and an SJC ball handling error.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sylvester registered nine kills, two aces and 12 digs
• Junior Catherine Balzano (Portland, Maine) added nine kills with a .381 attack percentage and four digs
• Freshman Allison McMullen (Jacksonville, Fla.) produced eight kills, eight digs, and three block assists
• Freshman Sierra Burns (Peyton, Colo.) notched 28 digs with three aces and four assists
• Junior Amanda Darby (Shrewsbury, Mass.) chipped in with 15 assists and five digs
• Junior Hanna Holden (Stoughton, Mass.) produced 14 assists and 13 digs
• Senior Sarah Quinn (Dover, N.H.) contributed five kills and seven total blocks (two solo)

LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND:

• Lauren Davenport boasted 24 kills on 70 attempts with 11 digs
• Viktoria Pavlyuk tallied 13 kills, three aces, and four digs
• Addie Miller posted 44 assists, two aces, seven digs, and three block assists
• Morgan Lynch notched 27 digs and two aces
• Paige Weatherbee chipped in with 22 digs, four aces, and two assists

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Bates College (11:00 AM) and Albertus Magnus College (3:00 PM) on Saturday. Bates and Albertus will face off in the middle match at 1:00 PM.

$website.include("/bp")