BANGOR, ME – Husson University hosted a North Atlantic Conference tri-match with the University of Maine at Farmington and Maine Maritime Academy.  Maine Maritime swept the matches, defeating Husson 3-0, and Maine Farmington 4-1.  The Husson Eagles defeated the Maine Farmington Beavers 3-0 while the Beavers dropped both of their NAC matches today.

MATCH 1 – HUSSON vs MAINE-FARMINGTON

In the first game of the tournament, the Husson University Eagles took on the Beavers of the University of Maine at Farmington and won in straight sets (25-17, 25-14, 25-22).

For Husson, the set points came from Kaitlyn McKay (JR, Lincoln, RI), Hannah Olstad (SO, Farmington, NH), and a serving error on Farmington, respectively.

Leading Husson in kills was McKay with 8, followed by Olstad with 5.  McKay also ended the game with 2 solo blocks.  Rachel Voicechovski (JR, Westerly, RI) led the team in digs with 14, and Aleta Johnson (SO, Milton, NH) contributed 23 assists and 2 serving aces.

For the Beavers, Jen Vadnais (FY, Arundel, ME) and Emily Beebe (SR, Bristol, RI) both had 4 kills, followed by Shannon Mitchell (JR, Portsmouth, NH) with 3.  Beebe also had 2 serving aces along with 2 solo blocks.  Whitney Walls (SO, Bar Harbor, ME) led the team with 8 digs, while Katie Allen (SR, Bucksport, ME) preferred getting the ball to others, racking up 9 assists.

The second set was a back-and-forth momentum battle until Husson Coach Pat Debeck called a timeout that seemingly revamped his squad, going on to win the set 25-14.

In the third set, Husson came out on fire, leading 8-2 at one point, but Farmington hustled their way back and led 18-16 late in the set.  When Husson had match point at 24-19, Farmington fought off the Eagles three times, before a crucial serving error cost them the match.

"We played well against Farmington," Husson head coach Pat DeBeck.  "Our serving, hitting, and defense were on point.  Hannah [Olstad] and [Kaitlyn] McKay played very well."

MATCH 2 – HUSSON vs MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY

In the second game of the tournament, the Eagles took on the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners and lost in straight sets (25-14, 25-20, 25-20).

Mariners Chelsea Ward (JR, Homer, AK) and Melissa Lail (FY, Elizabeth, CO) led the team in kills with 14 and 10.  Ward also tallied up 4 serving aces, 14 digs, and 2 solo blocks.  Lail and Nicole Osborne (FY, Calais, ME) also recorded 2 solo blocks on the game.  Leading the Mariners in assists was Jennifer Dixon (SO, Woodstock, MD) with 25.  Lauren Sakahara (JR, Bellevue, WA) topped the Mariners in digs with 18.

Husson's Hannah Olstad (SO, Farmington, NH) continued her impressive day, leading the Eagles in kills with 7 and chipping in one solo block.  Kaitlyn McKay (JR, Lincoln, RI) contributed 5 kills and Alison Handler (FY, Mt. Sinai, NY) came away with 3 kills.  Rachel Voicechovski (JR, Weserly, RI) led the Eagles with 15 digs, and Aleta Johnson (SO, Milton, NH) ended the game with 17 assists.

Maine Maritime's Ward and Lail combined to get the three set points, Lail getting the first and second.

Husson came out in the first set with confidence after beating Farmington, and Maine Maritime came out seeming a little rusty.  The Mariners shook it off quickly, and won the first set easily.

The second and third sets were a different story.  Husson fought hard and almost won both sets, but Maine Maritime proved to be too much and won 3-0.  Husson fought the Mariners off three times during set point in the second set.

"We started off slowly," said Husson coach DeBeck, "but once we started playing our game it became more of the matchup we thought it would be.  Once again, Hannah [Olstad] played well and Alison Handler came off the bench and gave us a spark.  On defense, Rachel Voicechovski played very well.  Hopefully we'll be seeing them again in the finals, because the third time is the charm."

MATCH 3 – MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY vs MAINE-FARMINGTON

In the third and final game of the tournament, the Mariners from Maine Maritime Academy defeated the Beavers of the University of Maine at Farmington 3 sets to 1.  The Mariners won the first set 25-9, the second set 25-14, and the fourth set 25-14.  The Beavers took the third set with a comeback victory 26-24.

Maine Maritime won two of their set points on attack errors by Farmington, and won their other set point on a block by Chelsea Ward (JR, Homer, AK) and Jennifer Dixon (SO, Woodstock, MD).  Farmington won their set on a kill by Shannon Mitchell (JR, Portsmouth, NH).  Mitchell ended the game with 10 kills, 1 solo block, and 20 digs.

Other top performers for the Beavers were Emily Beebe (SR, Bristol, RI) with 6 kills and 7 digs, Whitney Walls (SO, Bar Harbor, ME) with 13 digs, and Katie Allen (SR, Bucksport, ME) with 6 digs, 2 kills, and 26 assists.

For the Mariners, Ward recorded 24 kills, including a first set performance going 9 for 10 on kill attempts.  Ward also had 2 solo blocks and 6 digs.  Melissa Lail (FY, Elizabeth, CO) ended the game with 11 kills.  Kayley Rodriguez (JR, Quincy, IL), Heather Moore (JR, Macedon, NY), and Kerri Sullivan (FY, Cranston, RI) led the team in digs, each tallying 8.  Dixon led the Mariners in assists, racking up 29. 

The Beavers were down in the third set, but they refused to give up.  They rallied back behind Mitchell to tie the game at 19.  From there, it was a back-and-forth battle, and it seemed as if Maine Maritime was going to take the set and the match when they had match point 24-23.  However, Farmington denied the Mariners their match point and scored three straight points to take the set 26-24.

 Husson University will play their next match at St. Joseph's (Me.) on October 13, going in with a record of 15-4.