Rockville Centre, N.Y. (September 20) -- The Assumption college volleyball team (2-5) split on Saturday in a tri-match hosted by Molloy College (5-5). After dropping the first match 3-1 to the Lions, Assumption rebounded for a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia University Rams (3-6). Freshman Stephanie Hawley (Savannah, Ga. / St. Vincent's Academy) led the Hounds offensively in both matches, accumulating 32 kills on the day.

Match #1 - Assumption 1 vs. Malloy 3

The Hounds fell 3-1 to the Lions in an evenly matched contest Saturday. In the first set, Assumption pushed Molloy to a 30-28 final before dropping the second set 25-21. In the third, down 2-0, the Hounds pulled ahead for a 25-23 win, but were unable to make a comeback, falling in the fourth 25-15.

Hawley led Assumption in the first set with 13 kills while also posting four digs and three block assists. Senior captain Bizzie Gonring (Whitefish Bay, Wis. / Dominican) was close behind with 11 kills, five digs and two block assists. Gonring also added a service ace.

Senior Ann Donahue (Braintree, Mass. / Braintree) and graduate student/captain Alie Carlson (Amston, Conn. / RHAM) also contributed significantly to the offense, posting eight and nine kills, respectively. The pair also combined for a total of eight block assists.

Defensively, junior Courtney Bagwell (Diamond Bar, Calif. / Diamond Bar) and freshman Maria Chrisom (Dover, N.H. / Saint Thomas Aquinas) each tallied a team-high 15 digs while freshman setter Kiki Romanik (San Rafael, Calif. / Sir Francis Drake) collected 41 assists.

Match #2 - Philadelphia 2 vs. Assumption 3

In similar fashion to the Hounds' first match on Saturday, Assumption took Philadelphia U. to extra points early, dropping the first set 28-26. The Hounds, however, rallied back for a 26-24 win in set two, followed by a 27-25 loss in set three.

Down 2-1 heading into the fourth set, Assumption held out for a 25-23 victory in set four before clinching a 15-13 set-five win to take the match.

All five sets in the second match were decided by just two points.

Once again, it was Hawley that led the Hound offense, posting 19 kills throughout the match. She was followed by Carlson (15), Gonring (13) and Donahue (12). Junior Tara Reilly (Northport, N.Y. / Northport) added 10 on 21 attacks for a team-high .381 kill percentage. 

Gonring and Hawley each notched a double-double in the contest, adding 10 and 12 digs, respectively to their double-digit kill totals.

Defensively, it was Chrisom who led Assumption. She tallied a match-high 25 digs as one of five Hounds to reach double figures in the category.

Overall, Assumption tallied 72 kills on 182 attacks for a .247 kill percentage compared to 63 kills in 169 attacks (.237 percent) for Philadelphia. The Hounds also collected eight service aces, Philadelphia totaled 13.

The Hounds are set to return to action Tuesday, Sept. 23 as they host Le Moyne at Laska Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass. The match is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

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