NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut volleyball defeated non-conference opponents St. Thomas Aquinas and Jefferson, both straight sets, in their first tri-match of the 2025 season in Pelz Gym on Saturday, Sept. 6. The Owls improved to 2-0 while the Rams dropped to 1-1 and the Spartans dropped to 0-2.

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MATCH ONE: SCSU VS. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 
Kerrigan Habing led the Owls with 14 kills while Sarah Stark had 11 kills and Sydney Bennett added six kills of her own. Madi Roar had a team-best of 19 assists and Kimi Mitchell had a career-best of 16 assists. Sarah Henault recorded a team-best of 14 digs, as Habing had seven and Dylan Marney had five. Marney recorded four service aces while Sydney Bennett led the Owls with three blocks against the Spartans. 

In the opening set, St. Thomas Aquinas and Southern traded points back and forth until the Owls pulled away in the last two points with a huge block and then kill by Sydney Bennett. In the second set, it was another battle for the lead with a strong start by the Spartans but the Owls came back to take the lead. St. Thomas Aquinas fought back to tie and take over the lead; however, Southern fought back again to take the second set. 

In the third, the Owls started with a early 3-0 lead to create momentum. Nonetheless, the Spartans didn't stay away for long. St. Thomas Aquinas regained the lead but the Owls went on a four point run, with two blocks and a kill by Habing, a kill from Stark with three assists from Madi Roar. Coming down to the final points, the Spartans continued to battle; however, Southern Connecticut came away with a 3-0 victory. 

MATCH TWO: SCSU VS. JEFFERSON
Sydney Bennett and Sarah Stark both had a team-best of nine kills, as Victoria Pascual added six kills for the Owls. Madi Roar led Southern with 18 assists while Kimi Mitchell had 13 and Kerrigan Habing added two. Habing recorded a team-best of nine digs, Aleciyah Brodley had eight digs and Sarah Henault had seven digs. Bennett led the Owls with three blocks and Elena Bianchi had two blocks. Henault recorded two service aces while Habing and Brodley each had a service ace against the Rams. 

From the first serve, both teams knew it was going to be a competitive battle. Back and forth each team shared the lead, never gaining more than a few points ahead of each other. It looked as if Jefferson was about to take the first set but the Owls tied the game at 24-24. With a kill from Kerrigan Habing, a block by Sydney Bennett and Elena Bianchi and a service ace by Sarah Henault, Southern finished out the set with a 27-25 scoreline. 

In the second set, the same intensity persisted for Jefferson and Southern as both teams fought for control of the lead. The Owls took a 18-13 advantage in the middle of the set, with the Rams making a comeback in the distance. With a big kill by Habing, a block by Pascual, and another kill from Stark, the Owls came through with a second-set win. 

In the final set, Jefferson began play with a 6-1 advantage but the Owls came back to tie and then take the lead of 14-11. After that, the Rams made a come back of their own to stay in control of the match. Southern went on two more runs to take the lead with match point looming in favor of the Owls as Jefferson inched closer to them. The Owls took the victory with a kill by Pascual and an assist from Roar, to take down the Rams, 3-0, to start the season with an overall record of 2-0.

Southern will travel to Caldwell, NJ on Tuesday, September 9 for a non-conference matchup against Caldwell at 6:00 p.m. The Owls will return to Pelz Gym on Saturday, Sept. 13 in a Tri-Match against Queens College at 11:00 a.m. and against Holy Family at 2:00 p.m. 

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