HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - The Marist volleyball team opened its 2012 season Friday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23) win over Providence College at the Hofstra Asics Invitational. Senior captain Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) had 18 assists for the match, surpassing the 1,000-assist milestone for her career.
Grace Hill (Kalamazoo, Mich.) led the Red Foxes (1-0) with eight kills and 12 digs. Mackenzie Stephens (Holland, Mich.) was right behind her with seven kills and added three total blocks. Freshman Courtney Shaw (Centennial, Co.), Marisa Gilbert (Pflugerville, Texas) and Stoiberg each also added six kills. Brooke Zywick (Garden City, Mich.), Audra Brady (Allentown, Pa.) and Stoiberg all also finished with seven digs. Brady added 12 assists as well.
Gilbert got the first point of the season for Marist in the first set, putting away an assist by Stoiberg. Trailing 3-2, the Red Foxes went on a 4-0 run, including to kills by Stephens to take a 6-3 lead. After three straight points by the Friars tied things up, Marist used another 7-2 run to take control of the set at 13-8. Gilbert and Katie Estes (Saugus, Calif.) each contributed kills in the streak while Gena Russo (Rensselaer, N.Y.) added a service ace. A few points later, Shaw recorded her first career kill to give Marist a 15-9 advantage. The two sides would trade points back-and-forth for the rest of the set until a kill by Stoiberg gave the set to the Red Foxes, 25-16.
Stoiberg reached the milestone on a kill by Hill for the first point of the second set. Leading 9-8, the Red Foxes went on a 9-5 run to take a seemingly commanding 18-13 lead late in the set. Providence, however, by scoring six of the next seven points to knot the score at 19 apiece. With the score still tied at 21, Stoiberg registered a kill and won of her four service aces before Shaw finished off the set with a kill of her own.
The third set was tight at the beginning, with neither team able to build a lead of more two points until Marist two three-point streaks to pull ahead 16-12. Back-to-back aces by Brady and a kill by Stephens resulted in the first run and, after two points by the Friars, Stoiberg spiked one down and Hill had an ace of her own. Providence would come back again however, tying the score at 17. Still tied at 23, the Red Foxes scored the final points on two Providence errors.
The Red Foxes continue play at the Hofstra Asics Invitational on Saturday when they play the host Pride at 12:30 p.m. before closing out their season-opening weekend against Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m.
Notes - Marist is now 5-2 all-time versus Providence.
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