Aug. 31, 2010
Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist volleyball team won its home opener Tuesday over the Hartford Hawks 3-1 (25-23, 27-29, 25-22, 25-14). Freshman Grace Hill (Portage, Mich.) led the Red Foxes with 24 kills in addition to hitting .345 for the match.
Marist (2-3) took an early 5-1 lead to start the first set on two kills from sophomore Leeann Harridsleff (Simi Valley, Calif.) and two service aces from Hill. Marist would extend its lead to 20-11 after two combined blocks by senior Allie Burke (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Harridsleff, before opening up a ten-point lead on a kill by Hill. The Red Foxes then closed out the first set on a kill from junior Kayla Burton (Kissimmee, Fla.).
The second set saw 24 ties and nine lead changes as Hartford (0-4) had an answer for every time Marist took the lead. With the score tied 12-12, a kill by Harridsleff gave the Red Foxes a one-point led, only to see the Hawks even up the score on a kill by Michelle Cordell. Hartford gained its first lead of the set, 14-13, on a Marist attack error as both teams continued to trade points. Leading 25-24, Marist had an opportunity to close out the set, but a service error would give the ball back to Hartford with the score tied 26-26. After briefly retaking the lead, 27-26, on a kill by Hill, Marist saw the Hawks even up the score once again on a kill by Dionna Kirton. From there, Hartford closed out the set on a Marist attack error and a Lindsay Makowicki kill.
In the third set, Hartford built a 4-0 lead on a kill by Michelle Cordell and a service ace by Kirton. The Hawks would increase their lead to five points, 8-3, before the Red Foxes stormed back to even up the score at 10-10. Marist found itself trailing later in the set, 20-17, but managed to string together three straight points on kills by Burke, Hill, and a service ace from sophomore Katie Estes (Saugus, Calif.). From there, Marist would not look back, as it received three more kills from Hill and a service ace from Stoiberg to claim the set 25-22.
The Red Foxes picked up where they left off to start the fourth set, taking an 8-2 lead on kills by Estes and Burke as Hartford trailed by as many as ten points in the set. Leading 24-14 with a chance to close out the match, a Burton kill gave Marist the 25-14 fourth set victory and its second win of the season.
For the match, Marist outhit Hartford, .261 to .241 in addition to holding a 62-53 advantage in kills. Hill's 24 kills in the match tied her for ninth most on Marist's all-time single match kills list and gave her double digit kills in four of the team's first five matches. Junior libero Stephanie Robinett (Sugar Land, Texas) recorded a match-high 17 digs for the Red Foxes while Estes and Harridsleff each finished with 11 kills.
Marist will return to action on Saturday when it welcomes NJIT and Holy Cross to the McCann Center. The Red Foxes will first take on NJIT at 12 p.m. before facing off against Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
Here are some words from Grace Hill after Marist's 3-1 victory over Hartford:
