WORCESTER, Mass. – After dropping the first match to Stonehill College, the Assumption University women's volleyball team rallied to win in five sets over the Skyhawks Saturday afternoon in Laska Gymnasium. 
 
THE BASICS

• Score:  Stonehill College 3, Assumption University 0 | Assumption University 3, Stonehill College 2 
• Records: Greyhounds (4-9, 0-1 NE10), Skyhawks (4-8, 0-0 NEC)

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Match One – Stonehill College 3, Assumption University 0
Assumption started strong, running out to an early 4-2 lead. Stonehill responded with a run of its own to go up 7-4. The two teams would trade short runs, as neither side would grow a significant lead. With the Greyhounds up 29-28, the Skyhawks would rattle off three straight points to clinch the first set 31-29. 
 
In the second set, the visitors held a slight edge in the early portion until they led 14-13. They rattled off four straight points to go up 18-13. Despite a late run by Assumption, Stonehill held on for a 25-19 second-set win. The third set had the same flow as the second, as the Skyhawks held a slight lead for most of the play; a late run by the Hounds was not strong enough, and they would fall 25-16. 

Match Two – Assumption University 3, Stonehill College 2
Stonehill carried their momentum into the second match of the day, which the two squads played. They started 8-4. Assumption responded as they tied the opening set at 9-9. The Skyhawks would carry on winning the first set 25-20. 
 
After the Greyhounds took the first point of the second set, they went on a 6-0 run to go up 6-1. The Hounds bounced back to tie the set at 7-7 before the Hawks went on an 18-8 run, which was powered by Paloma Gonzalez Jaramillo, to go up 2-0, following a 25-15 second set. 
 
With their backs against their wall, Assumption started fast in the third set and would lead wire-to-wire, as Alexis Distasio and Anna Dean combined for nine kills, pushing the match to a fourth set (25-14). Despite dropping the third set, Stonehill began the fourth set up 6-1. The Greyhounds battled back to tie the set at 9-9 before taking their first lead at 12-11. The two teams traded points for most of the set, but the Skyhawks would take a late 23-22 lead, but the hosts would not give up and would go on a 3-0 run with kills from Dean and Kaitlyn Montgomery to force a decisive fifth set. 
 
In the fifth set, the two teams continued to match each other point-for-point, but Stonehill would be the first team to grab the eighth point (8-5) to switch sides. Following the turn, the Blue and White scored three straight points to tie the set at 8-8. The two teams would exchange eight points to tie the fifth set at 12-12. With Barbara Illig serving, the Greyhounds would score three of the final four points to win the match 3-2. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Anna Dean led the Greyhounds with 16 kills combined between the two matches, while Alexis Distasio (14), Carly Goodhue (12), and Kaitlyn Montgomery (12) all had 10+ kills. 
• Marissa was the top setter for Assumption, as she logged 40, while Marisa Billone had 14 and Natalie Brojek added nine. 
• Barbara Illig extended her Northeast-10 Conference lead of 307 digs with 46 in two matches today. 
• Sophia Kane and Kaitlyn Montgomery combined for nine solo blocks and nine assisted blocks. 
• This is the first win for the Greyhounds against a Division I opponent. 
• With the win in the second match, the Hounds snapped a 17-game losing streak to the Skyhawks, which began on October 18, 2006. 
• Stonehill still leads the all-time series over Assumption, 39-11. 

 
UP NEXT

• Assumption vs. Franklin Pierce, Thursday, October 3, 6:00 pm. 
• Stonehill vs. Mercyhurst, Friday, October 4, 6:00 pm. 

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