Posted: Oct 23, 2012
Lesley University (7-12) took a 2-0 lead but Suffolk University (11-16) stormed back with three straight wins Tuesday night, besting the Lynx 3-2 in Lesley's women's volleyball home finale.
Playing in her final home match, Lesley's Kaitlyn Miller (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill Valley) led all players with 20 kills and 44 attack attempts to go along with 16 digs. Sophomore Danielle Johnson (Waterford, CT/Waterford) followed with 16 kills and 12 digs, but the Rams rallied for early runs in Games 3 and 4 and distanced themselves from the Lynx midway through the deciding set.
Suffolk's Tori Brillaud (North Andover, MA/Central Catholic) led the team with 13 kills and 14 digs, and senior Hannah Davis (Haverhill, MA/Haverhill) followed with 11 kills on 24 attempts with only one error for a match-best .417 hitting percentage.
Lesley's Anthea Rathjens (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) put the home team on top 12-9 with a kill midway through Game 1, and a Megan Ortwein (Easton, PA/Shanghai American) ace later made it a 21-14 game. With the Rams back within five, another Rathjens kill locked up the Lynx 25-19 victory.
After a Lynx timeout early in the second set, a Davis kill sent Suffolk out in front 10-7. Miller then took over the middle portion of the set, tying the contest with kills at 12-12 and again at 15-15 before swinging the Lynx on top 16-15 with another kill. A pair of Johnson kills fended off the Rams at 23-20, and Miller capped the 25-22 win with her match-high ninth kill of the set, as the senior totaled nine kills with only one error on 16 attempts in Game 2.
Three Davis kills found the suddenly sluggish Lynx in a 7-1 hole to start Game 3. A Rams service error pulled Lesley to within 12-10, but a Rathjens attack error and a Miller service error helped the Rams open up a 21-14 lead, and the visitors went on to a 25-20 win.
As she did a game earlier, Davis propelled the Rams to an early lead, throwing down two kills for a second straight 5-0 lead. A Kathryn Babb (Manchester, NH/Memorial) kill led to a Lynx timeout as Suffolk went up 13-6, and another of Babb's four kills in her errorless Game 4 sealed the Rams 25-17 decision.
In Game 5, Lesley opened up a 4-2 lead with freshman Tori Hoefs (Avalon, CA/Avalon) serving, but two Brillaud kills sparked a 6-2 Rams run in which the visitors took an 8-6 lead, one Suffolk wouldn't relinquish. Brillaud led the Rams with three kills on the set, and a Davis kill capped the 15-10 victory in a 3-2 come-from-behind win.
As a team, Suffolk hit .248 in the win, while the Lynx hit .234.
Babb totaled seven kills on 13 attempts for a .308 hitting percentage, and libero Colby Kennedy (Old Lyme, CT/Old Lyme) led all players with 18 digs.
(Story courtesy of Lesley University Sports Information)