Seahawks sweep their way to victory over Rams

NEWPORT, R.I. - Freshman Taylor Violet (Tiverton, R.I.) dished-out a match-high 17 assists as the Salve Regina University women's volleyball team swept Framingham State University 3-0 during non-conference action at the Rodgers Recreation Center on Thursday night. The Seahawks took the opening set 25-10, and completed the sweep by taking the final two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-18. The victory snaps a five-game skid for the Seahawks who now improve to 3-5 overall, while the loss drops the Rams to 6-4 on the season.

Violet added four digs and a pair of aces to go along with her 19 assists to lead Salve Regina. Senior Julianne Barry (Randolph, Mass.) also had a strong game, leading all players with nine kills and three blocks, while freshman Tara Kuck (Huntington Station, N.Y.) had a team-high eight digs in the win. Other notable performances include sophomore Clare Adams (New Concord, Ohio) who recorded six kills in just one set, and sophomore Kelsey Stafstrom (Westford, Mass.) who had a match-high three aces.

The Rams were paced by freshman Morgan Drew's (North Easton, Mass.) 18 assists and sophomore Andressa Fernandes' (Framingham, Mass.) team-high seven kills on the night. Freshman Kayla Bertrand (Agawam, Mass.) recorded a team-best 12 digs and two aces, while freshman Michelle DeJesus (Milford, Mass.) added 11 digs in the loss.

The Seahawks cruised to a 25-10 victory in the opening set, led by the strong play of freshman Jennifer Duggan (Merrimack, N.H.) and sophomore Clare Adams. Adams had six kills in just nine attacks for a .556 hitting percentage, while also serving two aces. Duggan was equally impressive, recording five kills in six attacks for an .833 hitting percentage, while also serving an ace of her own.

The score was knotted at 9-all early in the second set when the Seahawks scored three straight points, including both a kill and a block by Barry to take a 12-9 advantage.

The three-point lead remained intact at 16-13 before the Seahawks gave themselves some breathing room with a 7-3 run, taking a 23-16 advantage in the process.

The Rams closed the gap to 24-19 on an ace from Bertrand, but Barry, who had five kills in six attempts in the second frame, responded with a set-clinching kill to give the Seahawks the 25-19 victory.

Salve Regina completed the match victory with a 25-18 win in the third and final set. The Seahawks served especially well in the closing set, recording five aces by four different players, including two by Stafstrom. Kuck also performed well in the final frame, compiling six digs, two kills and an ace to help complete the the sweep for the Seahawks.

The Rams will hit the court again on Saturday when they host a tri-match with Daniel Webster and Lasell starting at noon. The Seahawks will also play on Saturday, hitting the road for their conference opener versus Gordon at 1:00 p.m.