Carey, Benson Post Double-Doubles, Volleyball Drops GNAC Match At Colby-Sawyer Saturday

NEW LONDON, N.H. – Shannon Carey (Bayport, N.Y.) and Hannah Benson (Terryville, Conn.) recorded double-doubles on the afternoon as the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team fell, 3-1, at Colby-Sawyer College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match on Saturday.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USJ 1, Colby-Sawyer 3 (25-23, 17-25, 16-25, 20-25)
Records: USJ (4-14, 1-5 GNAC), Colby-Sawyer (8-11, 4-2 GNAC)
Location: Dan & Kathleen Hogan Sports Center (New London, N.H.)

KEY MOMENTS

• The two teams went back and forth in the opening portion of the first set, playing out to a 3-3 tie. The Blue Jays would then catch fire, using a 5-1 run to take an 8-4 edge. Fueling the run were kills from Carey and Kailee Snyder (Brookfield, Conn.)
• The Chargers looked to fight back, cutting the gap to one, 10-7.
• A Colby-Sawyer attack error followed by a Carey kill reestablished a 15-12 edge, but Colby-Sawyer fought back, tying the first set at 15-15.
• USJ would go on a 5-0 stretch to retake a 20-15 edge. Snyder and Rachel Heaney (Torrington, Conn.) tallied kills to fuel the rally.
• The Blue Jays took advantage of three straight Colby-Sawyer errors to pull within two points of taking the set, 23-16. However, the Chargers would not go down easy, pulling back within four, 23-19.
• The USJ having match point, Colby-Sawyer continued to try and fight back, closing the gap to 24-23. The Blue Jays would hang on though, securing the final point after a kill from Benson gave USJ the opening set, 25-23.
• The Blue Jays came out strong in the second set, taking an early 4-1 lead after an ace from Benson.
• However, the Chargers fought back, ultimately tying the set at 5-5, before a 5-0 stretch gave the hosts a 10-5 lead.
• Heaney cut Colby-Sawyer's momentum with a kill of her own, but a 6-0 run saw Colby-Sawyer extend the gap to 16-6.
• USJ stopped the run, going on a 4-0 stretch of their own to pull back within six, 16-10. The deficit though was too much to overcome as the Chargers held on, taking the second set, 25-17.
• Colby-Sawyer would take the lead early in the third set, but a Benson kill brought the Blue Jays within two, 8-6. However, the Chargers began to pull away, extending the deficit to 13-6.
• USJ would respond with a 3-0 run, capped off by an ace from Alexandra Long (East Hartford, Conn.), cutting the gap to 13-9.
• The Blue Jays would get as close as five, 19-14, late in the set after Carey racked up another kill, but the Chargers would take the third set, 25-16.
• USJ would jump out to a quick 5-2 lead to start off the fourth set, set up by kills from Carey and Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.).
• The Blue Jays continued their strong start to the set, increasing their lead to seven, 14-7, after an ace from Carey and a kill by Benson.
• Colby-Sawyer would begin to mount a comeback, as a 5-0 run brought the score to 15-13, forcing USJ to call timeout.
• After the break in play, the two teams traded points back and forth, playing to a 17-17 tie.
• It would be the Chargers that ultimately began to pull away, taking the fourth set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.

NOTES

• Benson and Carey paced the team with 11 kills each.
• Carey also led the Blue jays with 16 digs, while Benson tallied 11 digs to post double-doubles.
• The double-double was the first for Benson this season, while Carey tallied her fifth of the year.
• Long was USJ's primary playmaker, notching a team-high 17 assists.
• Colby-Sawyer increased its win streak to five matches, taking a 5-0 lead in the all-time series.

UP NEXT

Volleyball returns to the O'Connell Center in West Hartford, hosting in-state foe Western Connecticut in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, October 11. First serve between the Blue Jays and Wolves is set for 6:00 p.m.

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