On September 9 and 10, the Stevens Women’s varsity volleyball claimed all four victories of the North Country Classic. The games were won 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, against St. Lawrence University and Lasell University on the first day, and won by margins of 3-2 and 3-1, respectively, against Middlebury College and Clarkson University on day two.
Stevens swept the home team St. Lawrence University 3-0, and each match had a respective score of 25-12, 25-12, and 25-19. Graduate student Kathleen Riegner had four aces and 10 assists in their opening match. Against Lasell University, Stevens won at a margin of 3-1, and each match had a respective score of 25-12, 17-25, 25-16, and 25-12. Junior Meg Dion had four kills and six blocks against Lasell. The team served 23 aces across both matches held on Friday. These two victories increased the Duck’s winning streak to three and changed their record to 4-2 on the year thus far.
One of the highlights from the opening day was the defense played in the match against the Lasell Lasers. The Ducks held the Lasers to a negative hitting percentage in the first and fourth sets, which led to Lasell finishing under .100 for the match. In contrast, Stevens only made one attack error and hit for a match-high 0.444 in the third set.
Day two of the North Country Classic took place at Clarkson University’s Alumni Gymnasium on Saturday, September 10.
Stevens defeated Middlebury College 3-2, with each set having a respective score of 20-25, 25-17, 25-19, 16-25, and 15-4 in the opening match of the second day. Against Middlebury, sophomore Cleo Shannon totaled 14 kills which matched her career high, and also she had three blocks. Against Clarkson, Stevens won 3-1 with respective set scores of 25-22, 25-19, 17-25, and 25-12. Junior Meg Dion blocked five shots and had five kills in the match. Across both matches played on the closing day of the North Country Classic, Junior Liz Patterson totaled 21 kills and 27 digs, leading her to her first career double-double.
In the first match of day two, each team had won two sets and was battling to see who would win the deciding fifth set. The Ducks were down to begin this set, as Middlebury opened with multiple consecutive kills. A service error from Middlebury gave Stevens possession, and Shannon and Sophia Schaefer combined for the next four kills to push the Ducks’ lead to 5-2. The Ducks scored the next eight points, and in the end, a Middlebury error secured the victory. In this fifth set, the Ducks hit for 0.500 while holding the Middlebury Panthers to a negative attack percentage. This had been the first time in the 2022 season in which the Panthers made more attack errors than kills in a single set.
The Ducks closed out the final set of the match against Clarkson, hitting 0.417, and forced Clarkson into four more attack errors than their six kills. Schaefer knocked down four kills on six swings and registered three blocks. An eight-point run sparked by sophomore Bailey Axelrad’s kill turned a five-point lead into a lead of 13 points. A kill by Dion brought the Ducks to match point, and a kill from Maggio ended the match. After the match, Stevens’ record was brought to 6-2, and their winning streak increased to five straight games won.
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