When and Where: September 3, 2023 – Manchester, N.H. (Stan Spirou Field House)
Match 1 Score: Southern New Hampshire University 3, Southern Connecticut State University 0
Match 2 Score: Southern New Hampshire University 3, Saint Michael's College 0
Records: SNHU 4-0, SCSU 1-2, SMC 1-3

Redshirt-senior Ana Pimenta (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) totaled up 24 more kills Sunday, as the Southern New Hampshire University women's volleyball team picked up two more wins at the Stan Spirou Field House to open the year 4-0. SNHU took care of Southern Connecticut State University, 3-0, in the first match and then defeated Saint Michael's College in three sets.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Pimenta – 24 kills (4.00 k/s), .388 pct., 2 blocks (0.83 b/s)
• Graduate student Dai Thawnghmung (Lowell, Mass.) – 16 kills (2.67 k/s), 2 aces, 9 digs (1.50 d/s), 3 blocks (0.50 b/s)
• Junior Deanne Wilson (Buffalo, N.Y.) – 24 digs (4.0 d/s), 4 aces, 7 assists (1.17 a/s)
• Sophomore Alexandra Friebolin (Plant City, Fla.) – 8 kills (1.33 k/s), .389 pct., 5 blocks (0.83 b/s)
• Sophomore Ella Koelb (Auburn, N.H.) – 19 assists (9.50 k/s), 6 digs (3.00 d/s)

KEY MOMENTS – SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT MATCH

• Southern New Hampshire scored the first five points of the match, with freshman Katalin Kovacs (Budapest, Hungary) delivering a trio of service aces. SNHU was ahead, 20-12, later in the opening set when it used a 5-1 run – highlighted by a pair of Pimenta kills and a set-clinching aces from Wilson – to go up, 1-0, in the match.
• The Penmen held a 12-11 edge in the second stanza when an 8-1 rush – with two more Pimenta kills – opened up a 20-12 advantage. Southern Connecticut would later use a 7-1 run to pull within 23-21, but a service error and a kill from Friebolin made it 2-0.
• The Owls were ahead, 21-17, in the third when SNHU rattled off five straight as part of an 8-1 run that clinched the match. Two Thawnghmung aces and a pair of Pimenta kills, including the clincher, powered the stretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT MATCH

• Set scores were 25-13, 25-21, 25-23.
• Pimenta led all players with 12 kills (.357) to go with nine digs and two blocks.
• Grad student Alessandra Peli (Brescia, Italy) posted seven kills on .778 hitting, while collecting five digs and serving up an ace.
• Thawnghmung also recorded seven kills, to go with four digs and a pair of aces.
• Kovacs tallied 23 assists, five aces and eight digs.
• Wilson collected a team-high nine digs.
• Friebolin added four kills and three blocks.
• Junior Eyleen Dias (Plymouth, Mass.) chipped in six digs and an ace.
• SNHU outhit SCSU in all three sets, as well as .273-.170, overall.
• The Penmen held edges in aces (11-7) and blocks (8-6).

KEY MOMENTS – SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• SNHU led, 18-15, in the opening set when it used a 7-2 run to go in front, 1-0. A Wilson ace and two Pimenta kills led the way.
• The tight second stanza was even at 26-all when back-to-back kills from Thawnghmung and Friebolin put the Penmen on top, 2-0.
• The teams were again knotted in the third frame, with SNHU breaking a 17-17 tie with an 8-1 rush that ended the match. Pimenta had a pair of kills during the stretch, including the match clincher.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• Set scores were 25-17, 28-26, 25-18.
• Pimenta notched 12 kills on .429 hitting.
• Thanwghmung added nine kills (.300), five digs and a pair of blocks.
• Junior Carmen Bernardis (Trieste, Italy) posted six kills and six digs.
• Koelb tallied 19 assists, three kills and six digs.
• Wilson collected 15 digs and a pair of aces.
• Friebolin recorded four kills and two blocks.
• Senior Claire Wohlleber (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) registered three kills, three digs and three blocks.
• Dias and junior Chiara Di Valerio (Terni, Italy) each chipped in five digs.
• Playing just the first set, Kovacs posted seven assists and four digs.
• SNHU outhit SMC in all three sets, as well as .215-.070 for the match.
• The Penmen doubled up the Purple Knights in blocks (10-5), while Saint Michael's held an edge in aces (5-4).

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire begins the season 4-0 for the second straight year, after having previously not started 4-0 since 2009. It is also the second consecutive season the Penmen have opened the year winning 12 straight sets.
• The Penmen improve to 10-9 all-time against the Owls. SNHU has won six of the last nine matchups, including three straight. The Penmen have also captured five of the last six at home, including two consecutive meetings, versus SCSU.
• SNHU, which improves to 25-8 all-time against Saint Michael's, has captured 14 of 15, including eight straight, against the Purple Knights. SNHU has not dropped a set to Saint Michael's during the eight-match winning streak, winning 24-in-a-row. The Penmen have also won 15 straight at home against SMC, last losing Oct. 27, 2000. SNHU has won seven consecutive three-set matches at home in the series and has captured 22 straight sets there against the Purple Knights.

WHAT'S NEXT

• The Penmen head to Duluth, Minn. for the Up North Preseason Tournament on Sept. 8-9. SNHU opens up Friday against Saint Cloud State University (10:30 a.m. EDT), before taking on Northern Michigan University (6 p.m. EDT). Saturday the Penmen meet Michigan Technological University (10:30 a.m. EDT) and the University of Minnesota Duluth (8:30 p.m. EDT).
• The next home match for SNHU is Tuesday, Sept. 26 (7 p.m.) when it plays host to Bentley University at the Field House.

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