COLCHESTER, VT – Women's volleyball earned a pair of victories Saturday at the Saint Michael's tri-match, battling past the host Purple Knights in five sets before sweeping Assumption. The Golden Falcons received standout offensive performances from
Peyton Kellam and
Sandra Galas while turning in a strong all-around team effort.
Game One –Women's volleyball opened Saturday's tri-match at Saint Michael's with a five-set victory over the host Purple Knights, 3-2, at the Ross Sports Center. The Golden Falcons took the first two sets, 25-23 and 26-24, before Saint Michael's responded with wins in the third and fourth sets, 25-17 and 25-19. Felician then claimed the deciding fifth set, 15-13.Felician recorded 55 kills and hit .192 as a team.
Peyton Kellam led the Golden Falcons with 22 kills while hitting .500, while
Sandra Galas added 16 kills and
Emily Clayton contributed four.
Bentley Rone recorded 39 assists, and
Kayden Mallette led Felician with 23 digs.
- Peyton Kellam recorded a team-high 22 kills on 38 attacks while hitting .500. She also registered three service aces, five digs and one block assist for 25.5 points.
- Sandra Galas added 16 kills on 48 attacks and finished with a .125 hitting percentage. She also recorded four service aces, 16 digs and one block assist.
- Bentley Rone directed the Felician offense with 39 assists while adding three kills, two service aces and 11 digs.
- Kayden Mallette paced the Golden Falcons defensively with 23 digs and added three service aces.
- Ashanna Caviness recorded five kills, three service aces, three block assists and one block error.
- Emily Clayton contributed four kills on eight attacks while hitting .500.
- Felician totaled 55 kills, 51 assists, 15 service aces, 84 digs, one solo block and 10 block assists.
- SET 1 (25-23) | Felician used a 6-0 run to turn an 8-8 tie into a 14-8 advantage. Saint Michael's fought back and eventually tied the set at 20-20 before taking a 23-21 lead. The Golden Falcons answered with a Caviness kill and a Mallette ace to tie the set at 23-23. Kellam then put away consecutive kills to give Felician the opening-set victory, 25-23.
- SET 2 (26-24) | Saint Michael's established a 15-8 advantage, but Felician began to chip away at the deficit. The Golden Falcons pulled within 19-17 after three consecutive service aces from Caviness and eventually tied the set at 22-22. With Saint Michael's holding set point at 24-23, Galas delivered a kill to even the frame. After a Saint Michael's attack error, Galas finished the comeback with another kill as Felician won 26-24 to take a 2-0 lead.
- SET 3 (17-25) | Felician held an early 3-2 advantage before Saint Michael's answered with a 6-0 run. The Purple Knights maintained their lead through the middle portion of the set, eventually building a 20-10 advantage. Felician battled late, but Saint Michael's closed the frame, 25-17.
- SET 4 (19-25) | Saint Michael's took an early 5-1 lead and maintained its advantage throughout the fourth set. Felician continued to battle, with a Rone service ace helping bring the Golden Falcons within three at 12-9. The Purple Knights eventually pulled away to force a fifth set with a 25-19 victory.
- SET 5 (15-13) | The deciding set remained close throughout the closing stages. Felician battled back from an early deficit and eventually took a 13-12 lead. Saint Michael's answered with the final three points, however, to claim the fifth set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.
Game Two – The Golden Falcons completed a perfect 2-0 day Saturday, sweeping Assumption University, 3-0, in their second match. The Golden Falcons won by set scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-17. Felician hit .297 as a team, recording 39 kills on 91 attacks.
Sandra Galas led the Golden Falcons with 21 kills on 41 attacks while hitting .415, while
Bentley Rone added six kills and 13 assists.
Rowan Jensen led Felician with 17 digs.
- Sandra Galas led Felician with 21 kills on 41 attacks while hitting .415. She also recorded 12 digs and one block assist.
- Peyton Kellam contributed seven kills on 20 attacks, hitting .250, while adding 10 digs.
- Bentley Rone recorded six kills on 14 attacks, 13 assists, one service ace, five digs and one block assist.
- Sophia Watterson added one kill on two attacks while directing the offense with 19 assists. She also recorded four service aces and two digs.
- Rowan Jensen led the Golden Falcons with 17 digs and added three service aces.
- Faith Sibert finished with four kills on nine attacks, hitting .333, and added two digs and one block assist.
- Felician totaled 39 kills, 37 assists, seven service aces, 43 digs, two block assists and one block error.
- SET 1 (25-20) | Felician fell behind early before responding to take control of the opening frame. The Golden Falcons established a lead midway through the set, but Assumption battled back to tie the score at 19-19. Felician answered with a late push to close out the set, 25-20.
- SET 2 (25-19) | Felician opened the second frame with a 4-2 advantage and continued to build its lead. The Golden Falcons maintained control throughout the set despite an Assumption rally, eventually closing out the frame, 25-19.
- SET 3 (25-17) | Felician again established an early advantage and controlled the final set from the outset. The Golden Falcons built a comfortable lead and never allowed Assumption to get back into the frame, finishing off the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
- Felician returns to action at on Tuesday at home against West Chester, following Saturday's 2-0 performance at the Saint Michael's tri-match.
