Foti Slams Home Season-High 11 Kills as Volleyball Travels to Southern Connecticut State
Box Score NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Oct. 13, 2015) – Despite a season-high 11 kills from senior Abigail Foti (Bedford, N.H./Bedford), the Mercy College volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (16-25, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25) setback to Southern Connecticut State University in non-conference action on Tuesday night at Pelz Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (5-16) have now dropped four in a row, while the Owls (5-16) have now won two of their last three matches.
Foti hit an impressive .688 on the night and added five digs, while sophomore Sa'Naya Johnson (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) added ten kills of her own. Freshman Brianna Heffernan (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) had a team-high 15 digs and freshman Peyton Olson (Albany, Ore./West Albany) chipped in eight kills. Freshman Brooke Runge (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 18 assists and eight digs.
Southern Connecticut was led by Carly Balskus and Alexandria Jurgens who both recorded double-doubles on the night.
The opening set of the night saw the Owls take an 8-7 lead early in the set before going on a 7-1 run to open up a 15-8 lead and did not look back in taking a 1-0 advantage.
Another close set broke out early in the second as the two teams were tied at 7-7. However, Southern Connecticut came back with a 6-1 spurt to build a 13-8 lead. The Mavericks did not go down quietly, responding with 7-3 run of their own to get within one, 16-15. The Owls got the lead back up to five, 21-16, but once again Mercy fought its way back and cut the deficit to one, 24-23, before a Kelly Gunneson kill sealed the set for Southern Connecticut.
The Owls looked to have all the momentum with a commanding 2-0 lead, but the Mavericks were not ready to go home. After the score was tied at 6-6, Mercy followed with six of the next eight points to take a 12-8 lead. Southern Connecticut closed the gap to 15-14, but the Mavericks took control of the set with a 6-1 run and held on to make it 2-1 in favor of the home team.
The final set of the night was a back-and-forth affair as neither team could distance themselves from the other. With the frame tied at 21-21 and Mercy looking to force a fifth set, the Owls scored three straight to take a 24-21 lead. A block by Johnson got the Mavericks to within two, 24-22, but a Balskus kill ended Mercy's hopes and gave Southern Connecticut the win.
The Mavericks finished the night hitting .176, while the Owls ended up hitting at a .203 clip. Mercy ended the contest with 38 kills and 58 digs compared to 57 kills and 73 digs for Southern Connecticut.
Head Coach Kelly Wengerter and the Mavericks will resume ECC action, hosting LIU Post on Thursday, October 15th at 7 p.m.
