Gordon College Volleyball hosted the Hawks of Roger Williams this afternoon on Kanas Court when the Fighting Scots honored three senior Scots in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup. After four riveting sets, the Fighting Scots battled back to lock in a 3-1 exhilarating victory over the Hawks. Leading the Scots in today's thriller was
Valerie Nilan with a whopping 25 kills, followed by
Annie Murphy who collected 15 and
Emily Schneider who recorded 11, meanwhile
Kate Howe more than did her job feeding her teammates, booking 50 assists in four sets. Additionally, seniors
Hayley Robinson and Becca Majeau stepped up to earn 22 and nine digs respectively.
How It Happened
- After a quick string of points from the Hawks, Gordon battled back to tie it up 5-5, making for a straight run of back and forth points before Roger pulled ahead 12-9. The squads continued to ping pong the ball however you say that until the Hawks went on a six point fast break, two points away from clenching the first set win forcing the Scots to call a timeout. This worked in the Scots favor as they came back on the court to fight back (23-19) but it wasn't enough as the Hawks took their first and only win of the night, 25-20.
- The Fighting Scots started out the second set hot, powered by two back to back smashing kills from Valerie Nilan to put the Scots up 3-0 early on. Gordon kept their lead and never looked back. Nilan's unstoppable spike continued to strike down on the Hawks, bringingi the score to 15-10 before Emily Schneider mixed in three perfectly placed kills of her own. The Scots' energy was contagious, as Annie Murphy hammered home the domination with four more overpowering kills, securing the second set 25-16.
- In the third set, the Hawks were first to get on the board, taking an initial 7-3 lead before the Fighting Scots quickly tied it up ten all and continued to take the lead 17-12, that they would not relinquish. While the Hawks attempted a comeback, the Scots could not be stopped. Nilan finally locked in the third set for the Scots, 25-20 after a trio of jaw-dropping kills bringing the score to 2-1.
- Heading into the fourth set, Gordon was eager to send the Hawks home after jumping to an early 14-7 lead after a five straight kills from Murphy, Joey Keltner, and Nilan. The Fighting Scots continued to command the court, eventually taking the fourth set 25-21, amounting to a 3-1 victory.
Beyond The Box Score
- Valerie Nilan booked a career high 25 kills in tonight's conference competition to bring her to #3 in the nation for Hitting percentage.
- Kate Howe earned a career high 50 assists.
- Annie Murphy tied her career high 15 kills tonight.
- Prior to today's matchup, the Scots celebrated seniors Rebecca Majeau, Hayley Robinson, and Jordan Shaduk.
- The Fighting Scots kick-start the CCC playoffs Tuesday, November 2nd when they host Western New England for the conference quarterfinals with a 7 p.m. start.
