BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION WITH JUNIOR PRISCILA CASTRO

When and Where: October 28, 2017 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 3, Southern Connecticut State University 1
Records: SNHU 8-11 (4-6 NE10), SCSU 19-7 (6-5 NE10)

Senior Marisa Coronis (Hudson, N.H.) and junior Priscila Castro (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) combined for 35 kills and 26 digs to lead the Southern New Hampshire University women's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20) victory against Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Coronis registered 20 kills on .333 hitting, four service aces and 16 digs, while Castro posted 15 kills on .314 hitting and 10 digs.

Southern Connecticut held a 17-13 advantage in the opening set when a pair of service aces from junior Shaira Sanabria (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) highlighted a 9-3 run that leapfrogged Southern New Hampshire into the lead at 22-20. The teams then traded points three times, with Castro finishing off the Owls with a kill that gave the Penmen a 1-0 lead in the match.

SNHU jumped out to a 9-1 lead early in the second set, with the stretch capped by three straight service aces from Coronis. After a pair of points stopped the bleeding for Southern Connecticut, the Penmen notched seven of the next eight points – with senior Carolyn Scacchi (Peabody, Mass.) providing a pair of kills – to seize a commanding 16-4 advantage. Two more Owl points again halted the run, but a 6-1 spurt – with two kills each from Coronis and Castro – made it 22-7 in favor of the home team. A 7-2 counter-run for the visitors would make it a 10-point game, but Coronis came up with a big kill to double the lead to 2-0 in the match.

Southern Connecticut moved out to a 5-1 lead in set No. 3 and would never trail again in the stanza, as the Penmen closed to within 9-8, but an 8-3 run opened the Owls' lead to 17-11. Kills from four different SNHU attackers comprised a 7-2 counter-run that trimmed the deficit to 19-18, but Southern Connecticut tallied three straight points as part of a 5-3 run that gave it a 24-21 lead. A Castro kill and SCSU error pulled the Penmen within 24-23, but an Alyssa Gage kill gave the Owls the set.

Southern New Hampshire stormed out to a 9-2 lead in the fourth set, as service aces from sophomore Joanne Coffey (Merrimack, N.H.) and Coronis, as well as kills from sophomore Jaclyn Maguire (Rochester, N.H.), Coronis and sophomore Amanda Costales (Wantagh, N.Y.) led the charge. A 9-4 counter-run sliced the Southern Connecticut deficit to 13-11, but the Penmen scored six of the next nine points – with Costales adding a pair of kills – to open a 19-14 advantage. The gap was three at 23-20 when a kill from Coronis and a Southern Connecticut attacking error ended the match.

Maguire recorded seven kills, while Costales added six kills, two service aces, five digs and three blocks. Coffey went for a double-double of 42 assists and 10 digs, to go along with a pair of aces. Senior Kathleen Schurman (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) collected 18 digs, while Sanabria chimed in with 12 digs and a trio of aces.

Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire outhit Southern Connecticut in all three sets, as well as .229-.149, overall.
-The Penmen have now won five of their last eight.
-The win was big for SNHU in the Northeast-10 standings, as it moved to within a game-and-a-half of the final playoff spot with four matches to play.

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Saturday, Nov. 4 (1 p.m.) when they take on the NE10-unbeaten University of New Haven. SNHU returns home Friday, Nov. 10 (7 p.m.) when it plays host to the College of Saint Rose at the Fieldhouse.

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