(Note: all statistics are unofficial)
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Slippery Rock University volleyball team closed out its time at the Viking Virginia Beach Invitational by winning two more matches to exit its opening weekend of the 2017 season with a perfect 4-0 record.
Slippery Rock recorded back-to-back 3-0 victories over the University of Mount Olive (25-18, 25-21, 25-23) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (25-22, 25-21, 26-24). SRU lost just one set over four matches this weekend as it begins the season 4-0 for the seventh time in program history and second time in the last three years.
Kaley Fucci led The Rock with a team-best 18 kills over the two matches to go with four total blocks and two aces. In addition to tallying nine kills and two aces Sunday,
Brooke Bostwick also compiled eight blocks over the two matches.
Shayla Ray added 10 kills and five blocks on the day as well.
Rounding out The Rock's top performers over the two matches was the freshman tandem of
Erinn Kahoe and
Stephanie Jacobsen. Kahoe had 13 kills and seven blocks Sunday with Jacobsen chipping in 12 kills and two blocks.
MATCH ONE: Slippery Rock 3 – Mount Olive 0
Fucci paced SRU in its first match of the day with an 11-kill, two-block performance. Kahoe and Jacobsen registered matching seven-kill efforts with Kahoe also assisting on three blocks.
Bostwick matched Kahoe with three block assists of her own to go with three kills. The Rock's balanced attack also saw Ray compile six kills in the victory. Defensively,
Courtney Oberlander led all players with a match-high 13 digs.
After taking the opening set 25-18, Slippery Rock grinded out two more set wins in the second and the third, 25-21 and 25-23, to claim its second shutout of the season.
The Trojans led 18-12 in the second set before The Rock rallied back with a 13-2 set-ending run. SRU scored the first five points of the third set, but had to hold off a late Mount Olive run to hang on for the 25-23 win.
MATCH TWO: Slippery Rock 3 – Alaska Fairbanks 0
After being credited with just three kills in the opener,
Kelsey Boyle came alive in the second match of the day to record nine kills in The Rock's victory over Alaska Fairbanks.
Other kill leaders for The Rock against the Nanooks included Fucci (seven), Kahoe (six), Bostwick (six) and Jacobsen (five).
Haley Defibaugh and
Zoe Rivet guided the offensive attack with 15 and 14 assists apiece. Defibaugh also served a match-high two aces.
Defensively, Slippery Rock rattled off 10 blocks, which is tied for the most blocks by a Rock team in a single game over the last three years. Bostwick led the strong defensive effort with five blocks (one solo / four assisted) followed by Kahoe (four block assists), Ray (three block assists), Jacobsen (one solo / one assisted), Fucci (one solo / one assisted) and Boyle (one block assist).
As the final scores would indicate, all three sets were back-and-forth contests, but each time Alaska Fairbanks seemed poised to take a set The Rock was able to respond and hold off the Nanooks on the way to the straight-set triumph.
Slippery Rock will play four matches over two days at the PSAC-MEC Crossover Sept. 8-9.
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