Volleyball Surges Past Salem State for Sixth Straight, Kelsey Tops Aces List

Volleyball Surges Past Salem State for Sixth Straight, Kelsey Tops Aces List

BOSTON – Suffolk volleyball ran past Salem State in straight sets Tuesday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. The victory, the Rams sixth straight, came by set scores of 25-10, 25-9 and 25-18. In the triumph, Morgan Kelsey rewrote the blue-and-gold's record book as she became the program's all-time aces leader. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Salem State 0
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-0) | Salem State (2-4)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all Suffolk in the first two frames as the Rams ran past the Vikings, 25-10 and 25-9, respectively.  

Scott Blanchard gave nearly every player on roster an opportunity in the third set, which leveled the playing field a bit. The Rams managed to pull away 18-10, which would be enough to take the victory. It was in the third set that Kelsey served her second kill of the night to achieve her milestone feat. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

  • Kelsey finished with a pair of aces, the exact number she needed to put her name atop the Rams' all-time list with 232. She added 10 digs and three assists. 
  • McKenna Keowen powered the attack with 14 kills on a .355 hitting percentage to go along with seven digs, two aces, one assist and one block. 
  • Sami Shore added nine kills on a .643 connection rate with two blocks, two aces and one dig. 
  • Jayla Martinez recorded 21 assists, three digs, one kill and one ace. 

NOTEWORTHY

  • Kelsey who entered the match with 230 career aces served a pair in the third set to eclipse the Rams' all-time mark, previously held by current assistant coach Talia Lombardo since 2018. 
  • Suffolk renewed a rivalry with Salem State, meeting the Vikings for the first time since 2019. 
  • The Rams hold an all-time advantage of 15-4 over the Vikings. 
  • Suffolk has swept SSU in the last three meetings. 
  • The series has six sweeps, all of which the Rams have won. 
  • Suffolk is 3-1 versus Salem State in the Blanchard era. 
  • Sam Michon matched a personal-best one kill. 
  • Chloe Burns had the first kill of her collegiate career. 
  • Maddy Olson had a career-high three assists. 
  • Sophie Palmer notched a career-high one ace and tied a personal-best two digs.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk takes its win streak to the Crosstown Challenge this weekend, Sept. 13-14 where it will face Union, Skidmore, Russell Sage and SUNY Oswego.