Back-2-Back NEAC Champs, Mustangs Take Down Chargers 3-0
MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State Volleyball team turned in a dominant performance against the Chargers from Lancaster Bible College in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship match, taking the victory 3-0.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Morrisville 3, Lancaster Bible 0
Location: STUAC Gymnasium, Morrisville, N.Y.
Records:
Morrisville (25-6), Gallaudet (21-9)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Mustangs rode three multi-point service runs in the first set to jump out to a 14-3 lead. The Chargers pushed back, but Morrisville continued to dominate putting away 18 kills in the set for the 25-15 win.
Morrisville jumped ahead in the second set as Megyan Merrill (Millport, N.Y.) notched four of her eight kills in the set for four of the Mustangs' first five points.
The second set lead was short-lived for the Mustangs, with the Chargers taking advantage of a string of Morrisville errors to knot the score at 8-8.
Senior, Helena Hanes (Brockport, Pa.) served Morrisville from just a 12-9 advantage to an 18-9 advantage to put the Mustangs in the driver's seat for the rest of the second set.
Morrisville once again relied on their senior leadership in the third set as Kim Dunkleman (Williamsville, N.Y.) served the Mustangs to a 12-3 advantage.
Lancaster Bible would not go quietly, chipping away at the Mustangs lead, forcing a timeout as they brought the score within 2 at 18-16.
The Chargers and Mustangs traded points for the rest of the set until Kirsten Florio (Wellsboro, Pa.) and Merrill got up to deny a Chargers attack attempt for the 24-21 lead.
Amelia Baratier (Liverpool, N.Y.) finished the match off with a cross-court kill, her fifth of the match for the 25-21 set win and 3-0 match victory.
Merrill put away 21 kills on just 39 attempts to lead the way for the Mustangs. For her efforts on the weekend in which she posted 36 kills, Merrill was named the NEAC Tournament MVP.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Mustangs' victory has earned them a spot in the NCAA Division III National Tournament as the Automatic Qualifier from the NEAC. The NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Selection Show is scheduled for 12:30 PM Monday, November 5.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
