Women’s Volleyball Concludes Season with Pair of NE10 Setbacks

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y./GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Saint Michael’s College women’s volleyball team wrapped its 2021 season with a pair of setbacks on Saturday during Northeast-10 Conference play. The Purple Knights lost to Pace University, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17), at Goldstein Health, Fitness & Recreation Center during the early afternoon before suffering a season-ending 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-9) defeat at regionally-ranked Adelphi University in the early evening at the Center for Recreation and Sport. Adelphi is ninth in the latest NCAA East Region rankings.

The Purple Knights opposed two NE10 foes for the first time in the same day since Sept. 13, 2009, when they faced Assumption University and host Saint Anselm College for a pair of non-conference contests, and played two NE10 matches for the first time since hosting Pace and Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 5, 2005. However, Saint Michael’s had never played two league contests at different sites in the same day.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael’s (1-15, 0-12 NE10), Pace (2-19, 1-12 NE10), Adelphi (17-11, 6-7 NE10)

Pace Match
SAINT MICHAEL’S LEADERS

• Junior Caroline Curley (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury), 6 kills, .417 hitting, 2 blocks
• Senior Abby Gallagher (Kingston, Mass./Silver Lake Regional), 6 kills
• Sophomore Caitlin O’Connor (Bourne, Mass./Bourne), 6 kills
• First-year Alexandra Báez Rentas (San Juan, Puerto Rico/New Dimensions), 11 assists, 13 digs, 5 kills
• First-year Syrah Wright (Richmond, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union), 7 digs
• Senior Jaeden Cruz (Makakilo, Hawaii/Saint Francis School), 6 digs, 2 aces
• First-year Sydney Krause (Saginaw, Mich./Valley Lutheran), 6 assists
• First-year Aaliyah Huihui-Martinez (Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame), 5 digs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Brielle Jones, 15 kills
• Sophomore Cydney Gardner, 12 kills
• Senior Leonarda Uljic, 20 assists, 4 aces
• Senior Emily Cockell, 17 digs, 7 assists
• First-year Abby Robertson, 6 blocks

MATCH FACTS

• Pace held a slim 44-40 edge in digs.

THE ACTION

• Saint Michael’s led 6-3 in the opening set after Curley’s kill before the teams played through five ensuing ties. Pace used a 9-2 run, keyed by two kills and a block from Jones, to take a 16-10 lead, and the visitors never again trailed by fewer than five points.
• Curley’s kill had the Purple Knights up 7-2 in set No. 2, and another Curley kill had her team in front 10-7. Two aces and a kill from Jones amid a 13-2 run helped the Setters go up 20-12, and they still led 22-14 before a late Saint…