ANDOVER, MA – The Saint Peter's volleyball team fell in four sets to the Merrimack Warriors (2-10, 1-0) 3-1 on Saturday. The Peacocks (2-5) are now 0-1 in conference play.
WHAT HAPPENED:
The match opened with a flurry of kills and an ace on both sides. Merrimack's sophomore Marissa Kobelski and senior Julz Carlat contributed two kills and an ace. Saint Peter's answered with three kills from sophomore Maliyah Labrie, senior Elena Bilhartz, and sophomore Valeria Pagan Munoz. However, Merrimack pulled ahead with several multi-point runs, eventually leading 19-7. Saint Peter's tried to close the gap, but Merrimack sealed the set with a Peacock service error and a kill by freshman Mckenna Shotwell, winning 25-13.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to establish a clear lead early on. Saint Peter's broke through with a four-point run to take an 8-5 advantage and maintained a narrow lead for much of the set. After a late surge by Merrimack tied the score at 16-16, the Peacocks responded with their own multi-point run, pulling ahead 23-19. A double block from senior Penelope Rivera Morales and Bilhartz brought Saint Peter's to set point, and a Merrimack service error gave the Peacocks the set, 25-21.
Merrimack started the third set strong with a four-point run. Despite two Warrior attack errors, Merrimack quickly regained control, building a 14-7 lead. Saint Peter's narrowed the deficit to 18-16, aided by a Warrior setting error and kills from Rivera Morales. However, Merrimack responded with another run, extending their lead to 22-16. Although the Peacocks fought back with kills from Pagan Munoz and Rivera Morales, Shotwell's decisive kill secured the set for Merrimack, 25-18.
The final set saw both teams trading points early, with no team able to gain more than a two-point lead. Merrimack eventually pulled ahead 16-13, but Saint Peter's tied the score at 17 with a Rivera Morales kill. After exchanging leads, the Peacocks found themselves up 24-22, but Merrimack fought off two set points to tie it at 24-24. A Merrimack error gave Saint Peter's a slim lead, but consecutive kills from Carlat and junior Hannah Webber put Merrimack at match point. A double block by Bilhartz and Rivera Morales leveled the score at 26-26, but a Peacock service error followed by a Merrimack ace ended the set 28-26, securing the match for the Warriors.
Inside the Numbers:
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Bilhartz tallied three kills, swinging .300 on the day. She also had four blocking assists.
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Cleopatra Diakou had 26 assists.
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Rivera Morales led the Peacocks with 11 kills and 12.5 points.
Up Next:
The Saint Peter's Peacocks will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday, September 29, to face Quinnipiac in MAAC match two of the weekend at 1 p.m. in Hamden, CT.
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