NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut volleyball team defeated the College of Saint Rose, 3-2, at Pelz Gymnasium. With the win, the Owls improved to 15-11 overall and 4-5 in the Northeast 10, while the Golden Knights fell to 13-12 overall and 4-5 in the NE10.

Set Scores
Set 1: SCS 26, STR 24
Set 2: STR 25, SCS 21
Set 3: STR 25, SCS 21
Set 4: SCS 25, STR 18
Set 5: SCS 15, STR 12

Match Leaders

• Heliceliz Rivera (Corozal, Puerto Rico) notched a triple-double of 13 kills, 16 assists, and 10 digs.
• Kacey Deecher (Granby, Mass.) had 17 kills, 14 digs, and four service aces.
• Sara Enright (Yorba Linda, Calif.) recorded 16 kills and 23 digs.
• Gabriela Gaibur (Monroe, N.Y.) had 10 kills and 24 digs along with two service aces.
• Taylor Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) picked up 37 assists and 10 digs.
• Payton Reis (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) had nine kills, six digs, and five blocks.
• Aubrey Villena (San Diego, Calif.) had 20 digs on defense as the libero.

How It Happened

• Saint Rose had the hot start in set one with an 8-2 run out of the gate. Southern countered with an 8-2 run of its own to tie it at 10 all. After the Golden Knights grabbed three quick points, the Owls broke free with a run of six and the three-point lead. Both would trade points, but eventually the Golden Knights had set point at 24-23. Kills from Deecher and Reis, and a service ace from Deecher closed it out for the set one victory.
• It was the Golden Knights once again who took a running start at the beginning of set two. After the Owls took three of the first four points, they never led again in the set as Saint Rose powered forward with a 6-0 run the Owls could not recover from. The Golden Knights went on to tie the set score, 1-1.
• The Golden Knights carried their momentum into set three. After grabbing seven of the first 11 points, they continued to string together small runs and build on their lead. Any attempt the Owls made to chip away at Saint Rose's lead was halted with another Golden Knights push. Saint Rose went on to win and took a two sets-to-one lead.
• It was a bit of roles reversed in set four as the Owls started stronger and picked up four of the first five points. At 4-4, Southern grabbed a 12-3 run and a 16-7 lead. The Golden Knights tried to give the Owls a run for their money following their hot start, but Southern was able to ward them off and secure a seven-point victory and force a fifth set.
• In the final set, it was as tight as it could get. Both teams traded points to start, but at 5-5, the Owls broke through with a small 4-1 run, which in the final set could be all you need. Saint Rose found their footing and countered with four-straight points and took a 10-9 lead. In the end, Southern ignited their offense for a 6-2 closing run behind offensive firepower from Enright, who capped the match for the Owls with three of the final six points.

 
Notes

• Heliceliz Rivera recorded her second triple-double of the season with 13 kills, 16 assists, and 10 digs. Rivera had a triple-double on Sept. 10 against Queens, where she grabbed 12 kills, 13 assists, and 10 digs. It was the seventh triple-double in program history.
• The last time someone had two triple-doubles in a season was Nicole Hauser in 2013. Hauser had 14 kills, 18 assists and 15 digs against Saint Michael's on Nov. 9, 2013, and then 11 kills, 25 assists, and 13 digs against Franklin Pierce on Nov. 15, 2013.
• Kacey Deecher topped career-highs in both kills and service aces. Her previous career-high in kills was 14 on Sept. 24 against Le Moyne. Her career-high in service aces was three against Le Moyne on Sept. 9. She also picked up her fourth double-double of the season and sixth of her career.
• Sara Enright tied a career-high in both kills (16) and digs (23).
• This was Enright's 12th double-double of the season.
• Gabriela Gaibur tied a career-high in digs with 24.
• This was Gaibur's 11th double-double of the season and 38th of her career.
• Payton Reis has had a block in every single appearance this season. She also has at least three blocks in 14 of her 22 games played this season.
• This was Aubrey Villena's sixth 20-plus dig game this season.
• Taylor Jones had her fifth 30-plus assist game this season. She has double-digit assists in all but two appearances. This was also her sixth double-double of the season and 18th of her career.

 
Up Next
The Owls are set to host the University of New Haven in a crucial Northeast 10 Conference battle at Pelz Gymnasium.