CAMBRIDGE, MA – Named NECC Player of the Week by day,
Lesley's Amanda McCracken ended Suffolk's night,
accounting for the Lynx last six points in a come-from-behind 16-14
Game 5 victory Monday night at Buckingham, Browne &
Nichols.
The sophomore went for 23 kills and six
blocks on the night, igniting a rally in which Lesley came back
from a 4-8 deficit in the deciding set and sending her team to a
3-2 victory, 24-26, 25-17, 20-25, 27-25, 16-14.
A McCracken (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) block
put Lesley ahead 23-21 late in the opening set, but the Rams
answered with three straight points off Maggie Hillman (North
Andover, MA/Central Catholic) serves to go up 24-23. Leading 25-24,
a Kate Miller (Leesport, PA/Schuykill Valley) return error gave
Suffolk a 26-24 victory.
Lesley opened up an early lead in Game 2,
going ahead 6-2 on a McCracken kill. After head coach Heather
Cox's first timeout, Suffolk got to within 13-8 on a block
and a kill from Kelly Loder (Billerica, MA/Billerica Memorial), but
it was as close as the Rams would get as Lesley went on to a 25-17
win.
Neither team distanced itself in
the early part of Game 3, but the Rams eventually gained some
distance with some help from the Lynx. Jacqueline Dugas'
(Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) kill put Suffolk in front
15-12, and the visitors opened up a 17-12 lead following
back-to-back Lesley return errors. Two service aces in a row from
Julie Sullivan (Haverhill, MA/Haverhill) put the Rams ahead 24-20,
putting the Rams in front 2-1 on the match.
Suffolk looked poised to take the match
after opening up an early four-point lead after two Loder blocks.
Another McCracken kill brought the Lynx to within two, 9-11, and a
Loder kill error tied it 16-16.
The remainder of the match featured the
NECC Player of the Week going head-to-head with Suffolk's
hitters at the net. McCracken tied the game with a kill at 22-22,
and the 5-11 sophomore traded kills with Dugas until the set was
tied 24-24. A Loder kill error put Lesley up 26-25, and the Lynx
completed the comeback to force a final set, winning 27-25.
The early portion of the deciding set was
all Loder, as the 5-11 senior opened up with a block and a pair of
kills to go ahead 2-4, then 2-6 with Loder serving. Suffolk led 4-8
as the teams traded sides, but some help from her friends was all
McCracken needed before taking over down the stretch.
A kill from freshman Victoria Ashley
(Coventry, RI/Coventry) got the Lynx to within three, 5-8, and
kills from Meghan Chadwick (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) and Kaitlyn Wechsler (Mernick, NY/Our Lady Mercy) tied the set 9-9. Two
McCormick blocks tied the game back up at 13-13, and three kills
from the Lynx middle hitter gave TJ Hajjar's team a 16-14
win.
Megan Ortwein (Shanghai, China/American
School) led Lesley with 25 digs, while Wechsler added nine
kills.
Lesley moves to 6-5 overall (5-5 versus
Division III), and Suffolk falls to 4-8.
The Lynx return to play Thursday at Mount
Ida at 6 p.m., while the Rams play host to Daniel Webster tomorrow
at 7 p.m.