Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
SCRANTON, Pa. - In their first matches inside the John Long Center in over two weeks, The University of Scranton volleyball team bested both Marywood and John Jay on Friday evening, beating Marywood in a three-set sweep, and John Jay in four.
With the victories, the Royals improved to 15-1 overall on the year to continue their best start in program history.
Scranton 3, Marywood 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-9) | Box Score
In their opening contest of the evening, the Royals made quick work of the visiting Pacers, rolling past Marywood in the final two sets of play to coast to a three-set victory (the sweep was Scranton's ninth of the season, to date).
Overall, the Royals used a balanced attack in the win, paced by sophomore Kate Calabro (Seaford, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), who finished with nine kills, while hitting .467. Freshman Jillian Graham (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) chipped in with five kills, as fellow freshman Kyra Bevenour (Sicklerville, N.J./Washington Township) finished with a match-high 22 assists.
On defense, senior Shannon Savitsky (Centerreach, N.Y./St. Anthony's) led the way with nine digs, while she and fellow senior Catherine Manning (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) led the Royals up front with three block-assists, apiece.
Scranton 3, John Jay 1 (21-25, 25-11, 25-15, 25-20) | Box Score
In the nightcap against John Jay, the Royals got off to a slow start, as they could not come back from an insurmountable 18-11 deficit in the middle of the first game, eventually dropping a 25-21 decision to John Jay to open the match.
But, Scranton came out on fire in both the second and third sets, coasting to double-digit victories to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth set. In that fourth set, Scranton opened up a 17-11 lead in the middle of action, but John Jay did not go out quietly, slicing the Royals lead down to 22-20 late.
However, the Royals roared back, scoring the final three points of the set to take the game in four sets. The four-set victory was the first of the year for the Royals, as each of their 15 games to date had gone to either three sets or five sets.
Overall, Graham had a huge match on the Scranton attack against John Jay, finishing with 20 kills and 10 digs. Calabro chipped in with 11 kills, while Bevenour set up the Royals attack all match, finishing with 40 assists. Calabro also led the defense with 16 digs, while up front, Graham and Savitsky had five block-assists, apiece.
The University of Scranton volleyball team returns to action bright and early Saturday morning, as the Royals host two opponents on the day. First, at 9:30 a.m., Scranton take on Keystone, followed by a 3:30 p.m. match with Lycoming in the Long Center.
--ROYALS--
