BOX SCORE

When and Where: October 19, 2018 – Springfield, Mass. (Butova Gymnasium)
Score:  Southern New Hampshire University 3, American International College 2
Records:  SNHU 8-8 (6-2 NE10), AIC 15-10 (7-3 NE10)

Junior Irem Bat (Istanbul, Turkey) and senior Priscila Castro (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) combined for 29 kills in a pair of double-double performances, as the Southern New Hampshire University women's volleyball team rallied for a five-set victory at American International College on Friday night at Butova Gymnasium. Set scores were 27-29, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Bat hit .271, as she tallied 14 kills, two service aces, 17 digs and five blocks.
• Castro matched her career best with 15 kills on .267 hitting, to go with an ace and 14 digs.
• Junior Baylee Lippincott (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded eight kills, two aces and six blocks.
• Senior Jessica Dillon (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) dished 25 assists and collected six digs.
• Junior Joanne Coffey (Merrimack, N.H.) posted 12 assists, three aces and five digs.
• Senior Shaira Sanabria (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) gathered a team-high 19 digs.
• Freshman Ramona Fontaine (Chelsea, Mass.) chimed in with five kills and five blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first set, neither team held a lead larger than three. With Southern New Hampshire trailing, 17-14, a kill from Castro and ace from Coffey sparked a 3-0 run that tied it at 17-all. There would be seven more ties after that, including at 27-27, but AIC rattled off the final two points, including a kill from Andrea Serra that put it up, 1-0, in the match.
• AIC led, 10-5, in the second set, when a 14-4 rush – with two kills each from Castro, Lippincott and Bat – flipped the Penmen into the lead at 19-14. The Yellow Jackets would pull within 23-21, but back-to-back Castro kills leveled the match.
• SNHU owned a 20-16 advantage in set No. 3 when American Int'l closed on a 9-2 run that put it back in front, 2-1.
• Southern New Hampshire would pull even in the fourth set. After being down, 20-18, kills from three different Penmen, combined with four Yellow Jacket errors, made up a 7-3 run that tied the match at 2-all.
• The Penmen fell behind, 3-1, to start the final set and stared at deficits of 10-7 and 12-10 before a Bat kill sparked a 5-0 run that saw AIC commit four straight errors to end the match.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• SNHU outhit American Int'l in the first, second and fifth sets, as well as .176-.154 for the match.
• The Penmen held a 24-11 advantage in total blocks, with the 24 coming in as a season best.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire has won seven of its last eight, which is the program's best stretch since Sept. 8-Oct. 2, 2012 when it captured eight of nine.
• This was the second consecutive five-set, come-from-behind win for the Penmen, who dug out of a 2-0 hole last Saturday against Pace University.
• AIC had entered the day winners of nine of its last 10.
• The Penmen had lost three straight to the Yellow Jackets.
• This was the ninth time this season Bat reached double figures in kills, including the fifth time in the last six matches.
• It was the first time this season Castro had recorded 10 or more kills.

UP NEXT

• The Penmen return to action Saturday, Oct. 20 (12 p.m.) when they take on Southern Connecticut State University.
• The next home match for SNHU is Saturday, Oct. 27 (1 p.m.) when it plays host to the University of New Haven on both Senior Day and National Girls and Women in Sport Day at the Stan Spirou Field House.

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