POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Sophomore outside hitter
Jordan Newblatt's single-match kills record lasted only 16 hours. That is because she set a new program benchmark with 34 kills in Marist's four-set triumph over Niagara on Sunday afternoon at McCann Arena.
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Newblatt, who previously broke the record with 31 kills vs. Canisius on Saturday, recorded 34 kills on 74 attempts, good for a .311 hitting percentage. She also added a match-high 22 digs.
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Sophomore outside hitter
Gabriella Heimbauer accompanied her classmate's career day with a career-best 26 kills on 65 swings, hitting .246. It marked the first time in her Marist tenure she eclipsed the 20-kill plateau.
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Continuing the second-year Red Fox trend, sophomore
Anne Mahler led Marist with a career-high 34 assists after taking over for an injured
McKinley Fox. Six Red Foxes recorded double figures in digs.
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Mary Redl paced Niagara with 17 kills, Amanda Darling had 21 digs, and Jessica Streuer had a game-best 36 assists.
- In the first set, the largest lead either team had was four, which Niagara built at 5-1 and 8-4 before Marist would cut the deficit.
- Heimbauer and Newblatt contributed to a 4-0 run for Marist that staked them to an 11-8 edge.
- Three Niagara kills put the visitors ahead 24-23, but Newblatt's kill and ensuing service ace gave the Red Foxes the advantage, capped with Heimbauer's kill to close the opening stanza.
- The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set, as Redl had two kills.
- Heimbauer and freshman outside hitter Sally Tietjen pulled Marist within 8-7, but Niagara responded with four straight points, capitalizing on three Marist attack errors.
- Down 14-11, the Red Foxes went to Heimbauer and Newblatt while taking advantage of Niagara errors on freshman libero Jillian Hanna's serve to take a 16-14 lead.
- Marist was on top 24-22, but three errors and a Jaycie Roberts kill gave Niagara the 26-24 win in the second set, evening the match at one.
- Neither side had a lead larger than three in the third set. Marist went ahead 10-7 early off Heimbauer's swing and Cassie Seminoff's attack error.
- Niagara swung the lead in their favor 20-19 as Seminoff notched an ace, then Redl tallied the kill on the next play.
- The Red Foxes faced set point against them, but Heimbauer and sophomore middle blocker Vanessa Zolg pushed Marist ahead, and Newblatt's swing sealed a 26-24 decision for the Red Foxes.
- Tied 3-3 in the fourth set, the Red Foxes rattled off four straight points, capped with sophomore outside hitter Sasha Van der Merwe's strike.
- Marist maintained an advantage no larger than two up until two straight attack errors tied the frame at 16.
- The Purple Eagles erased a 23-19 deficit thanks to four Marist errors. From there, each team traded points to get to 26-26.
- Taylor Ellen couldn't handle an attack to give the Red Foxes the lead, then Heimbauer closed the game from the left.
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- Entering the weekend, Newblatt's 34 kills would tie for the second-most in a four-set Division I match this year.
- Newblatt has 153 kills in her last six matches, an average of 25.5 per match and 6.12 per set.
- Heimbauer totaled 44 kills over the weekend.
- Marist hit .177 as a team, highlighted with a .390 clip in the third set.
- Owens and Van der Merwe each had two aces.
- Marist boosts its MAAC record to 6-3, and is 11-9 overall.
- Niagara falls to 4-4 in conference and 7-10 this year.
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- The Red Foxes host Siena in their Pink Out Match on Saturday, October 16th at 1 p.m. Marist is partnering with Miles of Hope in the Hudson Valley to raise awareness for breast cancer research.
