The USM volleyball team opened their season in a non-conference match by losing to the Monks of St. Joseph’s College 3-1 at Hill Gymnasium in Gorham on Wednesday.
The Huskies opened a best of five game set by winning 25-16 but were unable to carry any of their momentum, allowing St. Joe’s to prevail in the three following games.
The Monks showed their resilience in game four when they came back from an early deficit in order to win the game and ultimately the match with a final score of 25-22.
USM started the first game strong but were unable to contain the balanced offense of St. Joe’s. Sophomore Sarah Hawkes led the Monks with 11 kills and added three service aces, four digs, and three blocks in the match. Freshman Sarah Coffey contributed eight kills and three service aces and setter Kiah Begley led the Monks with 17 assists.
For the Huskies, senior co-captain Shannon Shuttle (New Ipswich, NH) had seven kills. Freshman Meghan Rumore (Manchester, NH) and junior Hallie Noah (Anchorage, AK) each added two solo blocks.
This was the 59th meeting the two teams have had in their history. The Huskies still carry a series advantage of 39-20-0, despite the loss. With the defeat USM falls to 0-1 on the year while St. Joe’s stands at 1-0.
The Huskies will look to rebound when they take the court again on Wednesday, Sept. 8 as they host Daniel Webster College at 7 p.m.