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Comeback carries Skidmore into NCAA 2nd Round
Box
Score
Potsdam, NY – Thanks to 27 kills from senior Kelley
Vershbow, the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds rallied from
a 2-0 deficit to claim a five-set victory over Rivier College,
20-25, 20-25, 25-10, 25-22, 15-9, in the opening round of the
Division III NCAA New York Regional held at Clarkson
University.
The Thoroughbreds, seeded third in the region, improved to 28-8 on
the season and will play in the regional semifinal against the
winner of Colby-Sawyer and Middlebury at 3:30 pm. Rivier completed
its season with a record of 22-14.
Rivier put together a diverse and impressive offensive attack in
the first two sets, headed by junior outside hitter Kenna
Finlayson. The Raiders struck for 32 kills against just 10 errors
in the opening two sets. The Thoroughbreds were solid in their
offensive effort as well, but their percentages (.226 in the
opening set and .200 in the second set) allowed for additional
opportunities by the Raiders.
The momentum changed in the third set as Skidmore, facing
elimination, found another gear to climb out of the deficit.
Vershbow, Corinne
Palmer and Aria
Goodman led an attack that hit .667 in the third set (12
kills-0 errors-18 attempts) while the Raiders hit negative in the
set with 10 errors against just nine kills.
Though the fourth set was up for grabs late, a strong finish
allowed Skidmore to hold on to the momentum going into the fifth
set. The Raiders rallied to take four of the first even points in
the final set; however, Skidmore went on a run to force a timeout
by Rivier coach Craig Kolek just before the bench switch. From
there, the Thoroughbreds were able to maintain an advantage without
seriously being challenged for the set, closing out the match,
15-9.
Rivier was led by Kenna Finlayson, who delivered a match-best 28
kills, taking 76 swings for a .263 hitting percentage. Middle
hitter Nicole Peacock was dominant when set, killing 15 balls with
just two errors in 31 swings for a hitting percentage of .419.
Nicole Boucher also struck for 12 kills in the middle for the
Raiders. Lauren Saccoccio had match-bests of 53 assists and three
aces for the Raiders, while Emileigh Cenedella posted 17 digs.
Skidmore struck for a team-hitting percentage of .309 (58-15-139).
Palmer had 13 kills and just one error in 28 swings for the
Thoroughbreds, while Aria
Goodman added 10 kills and only two errors in 25 swings.
Mallory
Mendelsohn produced 52 assists. Palmer added four blocks
and Sam
Friedman posted 31 digs through the five sets.
