CHICOPEE, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (5-9, 1-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tri-match at Elms College on Saturday afternoon. The Monks kicked off the day with a 3-1 (25-14, 24-26, 25-16, 25-20) victory over Norwich University (5-5, 0-2 GNAC) and headed home after a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 17-25, 25-13) setback at the hands of the host-Blazers (4-6, 2-0 GNAC).

SAINT JOSEPH'S def. NORWICH, 3-1

St. Joe's started play with a convincing 25-14 first-set triumph, but Norwich managed to earn the second-set win, 26-24, after working through 18 tie scores and eight lead changes. The Monks came out swinging in the third frame with 14 kills and just two errors in 35 attacks for a solid .343 attack percentage en route to notching a 25-16 win and 2-1 match lead.

The GNAC rivals squared off for a competitive fourth set, a period during which neither squad held more than a three-point lead until the Monks recorded an 8-2 run to secure a 22-17 cushion. An Isabel Philbrick (Milford, N.H.) kill capped the 25-20 victory and 3-1 match triumph.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• First-year Victoria Briones (El Paso, Texas) registered a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs and posted a pair of service aces with a stellar .424 attack percentage
• Freshman Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.) also recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs and added two block assists
• Sophomore Maggie Sylvester (Barrington, N.H.) delivered nine kills, 16 digs, and three total blocks
• Sophomore Hanna Webster (Alvin, Texas) posted an otherworldly .529 attack percentage after notching nine kills and no errors on 17 attempts with 11 digs and two total blocks
• Philbrick netted three kills, four digs, and seven total blocks – including four of the solo variety
• Senior Hanna Holden (Stoughton, Mass.) added 22 assists and 15 digs
• Senior Amanda Darby (Shrewsbury, Mass.) contributed 14 assists and sophomore Sam Holland (Gilmanton, N.H.) chipped in with 11 digs and five assists

LEADERS – NORWICH:

• Ana Lopez paced the Cadets with nine kills
• Sarah Farnum dealt 25 assists with four kills and seven digs
• Laura Farnum added 22 digs
• Julia Dorr chipped in with 14 digs
• Maggie McNeil boasted seven kills and Abby Kanaga posted six kills

ELMS def. SAINT JOSEPH'S, 3-1

The Blazers utilized five service aces and five players combined to record 12 kills in an opening 25-20 set win and took advantage of 19 SJC errors in the second set to claim a daunting 2-0 match lead. The Monks responded with a dominant third set – 11 kills and just one error in 30 attacks – and held at least a share of the lead for the entirety to keep the match alive with a 25-17 win.

Unfortunately for the Royal Blue, Elms put the match away with a decisive 25-13 fourth-set win, which featured 10 kills and two miscues in 31 attempts and four service aces.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sylvester delivered 10 kills with no errors on 21 bids for a .476 attack rate and seven digs
• Holden totaled 19 assists, three aces, 11 digs, and three total blocks
• Briones continued playing at a high level with nine kills and 10 digs
• Philbrick notched eight kills and a .462 attack percentage
• Webster tallied five kills, 12 digs, and a pair of block assists
• Sixto chipped in with seven kills and three digs

LEADERS – ELMS:

• Jaylianne Ramos Figueroa put up monster numbers with 16 kills and 15 digs
• Laura Jenson also had a great game with 14 kills, three aces, and 12 digs
• Jaylen Holman added 31 assists, three aces, and 13 digs

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host UMaine-Fort Kent in a non-conference match on Wednesday at 5:00 PM.

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