COLCHESTER, VT– The Assumption University volleyball team opened the year with a pair of losses at the Saint Michael's College tri-match on Saturday afternoon. After falling to Plymouth State 3-1, the Greyhounds dropped a tight 3-2 match to the Purple Knights inside the Vincent C. Ross Sports Center. 
 
THE BASICS
Score: Plymouth State 3, Assumption 1| Saint Michael's 3, Assumption 2
Records: Greyhounds (0-2, 0-0 NE10) | Panthers (2-0, 0-0 MASCAC) | Purple Knights (1-1, 0-0 NE10)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
Match One – Plymouth State University 3, Assumption University 1
The first set was evenly matched for most of the frame, with the score tied at 14-14. Plymouth State showed that they were warmed up from the previous match against the Purple Knights, scoring 11 of the final 13 points to capture the first set 25-16. 
 
The Greyhounds figured out their footing eventually in their first match of the year, as they raced out to a 10-3 lead in the early portion of the second set. The Panthers would slowly claw their way back into the set as they cut the deficit to just three (14-11), but the Hounds held off the opposition, exchanging points down the stretch, earning a 25-21 second set win for the Blue and White. 
 
Plymouth State showed off their experience of ten seniors and graduate students as they pulled away in the third and fourth sets (25-14, 25-10) to pick up the 3-1 win. 
 
Match 2: Saint Michael's 3, Assumption 2
In the first set, the two Northeast-10 opponents were within 3-5 points for most of the opening period, but with Saint Michael's up 18-15, the Purple Knights went on a 7-2 run to cap off the set, 25-17. 
 
The Greyhounds began the second set strong, running out to a 4-2 advantage. With the hosts trailing 5-4, the Purple Knights would shift into overdrive and go on a 21-6 run to capture the second set 25-11. 
 
Following a fast start by the Greyhounds, the third set tightened up as the two teams were within three points for a significant portion of the period. With the score knotted at 19-19, the Blue and White went on a 6-2 run, with freshmen Natalie Brojek and Kaitlyn Montgomery coming up clutch to secure a 25-21 set three win. 
 
Saint Michael's opened up the fourth set with an early 5-1 advantage. The Hounds recovered and would eventually tie the set at 8-8. The two teams would exchange the following few points, as the score would continue to be close until the score was tied at 21-21. Montgomery once again came in the clutch, as she recorded two of the final four points to send the match to a decisive fifth set. 
 
In the fifth set, the two teams traded points until Saint Michael's got some breathing room following a 3-0 run to make it 8-5. Following the mid-set break, the Greyhounds rattled off back-to-back points to get within one, forcing a SMC timeout. The Purple Knights responded from the timeout, as they went on a 4-1 run to go up 12-8. The Hounds would not go quietly, as they got within one at 14-13, but the hosts would hold off the late rally. 

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Alexis Distasio led the Greyhounds with 18 kills, Kaitlyn Montgomery added 15, and Carly Goodhue had 13. 
• In her first two collegiate matches, Natalie Brojek tallied 52 assists and three service aces. 
• Blocks
• Barbara Illig recorded a career-high 36 digs against Plymouth State before adding 28 against the Purple Knights. 
• Natalie Brojek recorded 32 assists against Saint Michael's, which is the most by a Greyhound since Kyra Belden had 34 against the Purple Knights on Sept. 10, 2022. 
• This was the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and the Greyhounds, while Saint Michael's leads the all-time series 27-15 over Assumption. 

 
UP NEXT

• Assumption at Mercy, Tuesday, September 10, 6:00 pm. 
• Plymouth State vs. Norwich, Tuesday, September 10, 5:00 pm. 
• Saint Michael's vs. Middlebury, Tuesday, September 10, 7:00 pm. 

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