CALDWELL, N.J. – Southern Connecticut volleyball defeated Caldwell University, 3-0 on Tuesday night, for their third straight victory sweep of the season. The Owls improved to an overall record of 3-0 while the Cougars dropped to an overall record of 0-3.
Sydney Bennett had a dominating match against the Cougars, where she led the Owls with a team-best of 12 kills and a outstanding hitting percentage of .786. It is the best attack percentage by an individual in a single game in the NE10 this season and she currently holds the highest total hitting percentage in the NE10 with .535.
Kerrigan Habing recorded nine kills, as
Elena Bianchi totaled seven kills and five digs for the Owls.
Sarah Henault had a team-best of 11 digs, had a team-best of four service aces and had four assists.
Aleciyah Brodley and
Dylan Marney both had two service aces.
Sarah Stark and
Elena Bianchi both totaled three blocks while
Ceci Carter added a block.
Madi Roar led the Owls with 16 assists and had nine digs.
Kimi Mitchell recorded 10 assists, had five kills with a impressive .714 hitting percentage against the Cougars.
In the first set, the Owls started off the match strong with a quick lead, from kills by
Kerrigan Habing,
Elena Bianchi and a service ace by
Aleciyah Brodley. Their lead grew throughout the set by great offensive attacks from
Sydney Bennett, as she totaled four kills in the first.
Kimi Mitchell and Habing added more offensive strengths for Southern to keep control of the match. The Lions inched closer to the Owls; however, Southern grew their largest advantage of 20-11. With two kills by
Elena Bianchi, assisted by
Madi Roar and
Sarah Henault, the Owls took the first set, 25-16.
In the second set, Caldwell got on the board first with a 2-0 lead but Southern responded with a 4-0 run with a kill by Habing and a service ace by Henault. After that, it was a tight battle between the two teams, with multiple ties and lead changes. The Owls came back to tie the game at 15-15, then went on another 4-0 run, as the Cougars did their best to get back in control. Nonetheless, Southern kept control of the lead with service aces by Henault and Marney, and kills by Habing and Bennett, with Roar assisting all of their kills.
Dylan Marney recorded back-to-back service aces to help the Owls win the second set, with a scoreline of 25-17 over the Cougars.
In the third set, Southern Connecticut worked their way up to a 10-3 advantage. Caldwell put their points back on the board but the Owls kept the score in their favor. Nearing the end of the match, the Cougars made a strong comeback, where they tied the game, 22-22. Once again, the Owls regained their momentum with service error by Caldwell, another ace by Henault and a kill by Bennett and an assist by
Madi Roar, to finish out the match, with a third set scoreline of 25-23. Southern Connecticut won their third straight victory and it was the third straight 3-0 sweep of the season.
The Owls will return home to Pelz Gym on Saturday, September 13 for a tri-match against Queens College at 10:00 a.m. and against Holy Family at 2:00 p.m.
