BALTIMORE– The Notre Dame of Maryland women's volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to defeat Penn St. Mont Alto in five sets on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The Gators secured the victory thanks to set scores of 25-27, 17-25, 25-21, 25-15 and 19-17.
The Gators (6-8 Overall) fell behind early in the match, dropping the opening two sets of the contests. The Gators needed to win the third set to remain in the match, and they turned to Miasia Ferrer to get the offense rolling. Ferrer took over the game, blasting down a career-high 25 kills in the match. Jade Stewart got into the act, recording a season best 12 kills to go along with 24 digs earning her first double-double of the season in the process. Ciarra Bockstie also added nine digs and made a major impact on the block, stuffing five Lions in the match. NDMU held off a late push by Penn St. Mont Alto and Bockstie ended the set with two powerful kills.
NDMU captured the momentum and dominated the fourth set, at point going on a 7-0 run and leading by as many 10 points in the set. The Gators defense stifled the Lions attack with Paulina Hernandez racking up 21 digs. NDMU forced a deciding fifth set.
The Lions jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but the Gators responded using a 7-0 powered by three kills from Ferrer to grab an 8-5 advantage. The Lions answered right back, using a 7-1 run to recapture the lead, eventually earning three match point opportunities. Erin Shaw and Emma Mueller earned clutch kills to keep the Gators alive in the match. NDMU fought back and after Mueller service ace earned their first match point chance, but the Lions stayed alive. The Gators needed one last play to put them over the top when Bocksite and Gabbi Taganas combined for a thunderous block to seal the victory.
NOTABLES
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Stewart had one of her best outings of the season, finishing with 12 kills and 24 digs.
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Bockstie blasted nine kills on 22 swings to go along with five block assists.
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Mueller came up just short of a triple-double, posting 35 assists, 10 digs seven kills, and five service aces.
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Natalie Newton continued to drive the offense, 24 as distributing assists.
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Paulina Hernandez added 21 digs to anchor NDMU's defense
WHO'S NEXT?
The Gators will return to United East play when they host Cairn University on Saturday, Oct. 7. The first serve is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with NDMU Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube using the handle @ndmgatorsports.
