SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - First year middle hitter Sarah Caggiano recorded 19 kills to help lift the Mount Holyoke College volleyball team to a sweep of Anna Maria College and UMass-Dartmouth in tri-match action at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Lyons move to 5-1 on the season, while the AMCats are 4-5 and the Corsairs are 3-6.
In the opening match against Anna Maria (3-0 W; 26-24, 25-18, 25-20), the Lyons found themselves up by a 2-0 margin heading into the third set. MHC trailed by an 11-10 margin after a kill by first year outside hitter Amari King (Lawrence, Mass./Presentation of Mary Academy), but an error on the AMCats, followed by a service ace from first year right side Isabell Linde (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) pushed the Lyons ahead, 13-11.
The two sides continued to battle, but MHC broke an 18-17 deficit with four straight points to charge back into the lead. With the score 23-20 in favor of the Lyons, Caggiano laid down a kill and a service ace to close out the match.
Caggiano finished with nine kills against Anna Maria, addding three digs, a block solo and a block assist. Junior setter Natalie Lyon (Oakton, Va./Flint Hill School) had six kills to go along with a match-best 16 digs and 20 assists, while sophomore outside hitter Katrina Meserve (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) added four kills, 11 digs and a block assist.
For Anna Maria, senior middle hitter Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, Mass./Whittier Tech) had a match-high 10 kills. King chipped in with five kills and 11 digs, while senior setter Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass./Mahar Regional) had a match-best 26 assists with five kills and 12 digs.
In Mount Holyoke's second match of the day, the Lyons were once again led by Caggiano, who laid down 10 kills in the five-set affair against UMass-Dartmouth (3-2 W; 14-25, 25-21, 28-26, 8-25, 15-10).
Despite an opening set loss, the Lyons found themselves up 2-1 after tight second and third set victories. UMD rallied in the fourth set, jumping out to a 20-5 advantage after an attacking error by MHC. The home team attempted the rally, but three points in the final stages by senior outside hitter Jasmine Burris (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford) sent the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The Lyons found themselves locked in a 10-all score, but a kill from Linde, coupled with several UMD errors and a two final kills by Caggiano sealed the victory for Mount Holyoke.
In addition to her 10 kills, Caggiano added three digs, two block solos, a block assist and two service aces. First year middle hitter Joy Maran (Santa Fe, N.M./Santa Fe Prep) added nine kills, 17 digs and a block assist, while Lyon had four kills and match-high's in both assists (29) and digs (28). First year middle hitter Jamesa Allen (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona) added six kills, nine digs, a block solo and two block assists.
For the Corsairs, Burris finished with a team-best 11 kills, adding 15 digs, a block solo and a block assist. Junior outside hitter Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) added 10 kills, nine digs and a match-high three block solos and four block assists, while junior setter Christina Spinazola (Medway, Mass./Medway) added 23 assists, 22 digs and a match-high five service aces.
The middle match of the day saw Anna Maria post a 3-1 victory over the Corsairs. Senior opposite Kayla Kirby (Westport, Mass./Westport) led the way for UMD, posting 13 kills, while the AMCats saw Goulet record nine kills.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts NEWMAC-rival Babson at 7pm. Anna Maria travels to Becker on Tuesday (7pm), while UMass-Dartmouth is home on Tuesday, facing Mitchell (7pm).
