BOX SCORE 

When and Where: October 15, 2016 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 3, Merrimack College 2
Records: SNHU 4-14 (2-4 NE-10), Merrimack 4-17 (2-4 NE-10) 

Junior Marisa Coronis (Hudson, N.H.) racked up 20 kills and reached a career high in digs as the Southern New Hampshire University women's volleyball team pulled out a 3-2 win (25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 17-15) against Merrimack College on Saturday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Coronis fell one kill shy of matching her career best and set a new career mark with 16 digs, while hitting .327 and tallying 3.0 total blocks and a pair of service aces. Freshman Amanda Costales (Wantagh, N.Y.) also had a big match with a career-high 12 kills on .357 hitting.

Southern New Hampshire clung to a 20-19 lead in the opening set when a 5-1 run, including a set-clinching kill from Coronis, put the Penmen up, 1-0, in the match.

Three kills from senior Megan Salamun (Scottsdale, Ariz.) powered a 10-2 stretch that opened the second set for the Penmen. Merrimack climbed back within 15-11 when a 7-2 spurt – with a pair of kills from Coronis – opened the advantage to 22-13. The Warriors countered with a 7-2 run of their own, but freshman Jaclyn Maguire (Rochester, N.Y.) recorded a kill to grab a commanding 2-0 lead for Southern New Hampshire.

With set No. 3 knotted at 12, Merrimack reeled off a 7-1 run to open up a 19-13 advantage. A 6-2 counter-run that featured two more Coronis kills trimmed the Southern New Hampshire deficit to 21-19 before three straight from Merrimack brought on set-point. SNHU hit back with four straight points that made it 24-23, but the Warriors came up with a kill to stave off defeat. 

Merrimack maintained momentum into the fourth set and jumped out to a 9-1 lead. The Warriors still led by eight at 21-13 when SNHU used a 6-3 spurt to close the gap, but a Merrimack kill evened the match.

The Warriors looked like they would complete the comeback as they held an early 4-1 lead in the fifth set, but a 5-2 run later on that featured a kill and two service aces from Coronis, slashed the Southern New Hampshire deficit to 8-7. The set was all tied up at 12 when a pair of attack errors pushed Merrimack to the brink. The Warriors would respond with a pair of kills that tied the set at 14, however. Even at 15, a kill from Costales and a service ace from sophomore Shaira Sanabria (Tampa, Fla.) gave the Penmen the victory. 

Freshman Joanne Coffey (Merrimack, N.H.) notched another double-double with 45 assists and 16 digs to go along with three service aces. Salamun posted nine kills and nine digs, while senior Victoria Wehrmann (Dallas, Texas) added seven kills, six digs and 2.0 total blocks. Junior Kathleen Schurman (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) collected a team-high 21 digs, with Sanabria adding 14. 

Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire outhit Merrimack in all three sets it won, including .195-.167 for the match.
-Coffey's double-double was her eighth of the season. 

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Tuesday, Oct. 18 (7 p.m.) when they play host to Bentley University at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

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