PAXTON, Mass. – The Lesley University women's volleyball team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 3-1 (26-24, 25-14, 22-25, 25-19) win over Anna Maria College in non-conference action tonight at the Fuller Center. Lynx freshman Anni Abbruzzese (Croton on Hudson, N.Y.) powered the Lynx with her second straight double-double with a career-best 18 kills to go with 13 digs. With the loss, Anna Maria falls to 6-5 on the year.
Fellow freshman Ciara Bruning (Barnstable, Mass.) chipped in with 12 kills while hitting at a .400 clip on the night while junior Jessie Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) matched a career-high with 10 kills and 12 digs. Junior Emily Marden (Fremont, Calif.) dished out a career-best 41 assists, falling nine assists shy of the Lesley single match (four set) record of 50 set by Kaitlyn Miller in 2010. Junior Danielle McDonald (Lilitz, Pa.) anchored the defense for the visitors as she led all players with 19 digs.
AMCAT freshman Talliah Bursie (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) led the hosts as she recorded nine kills while senior Jacqueline Clinton (Walpole, Mass.) finished with eight kills and a team-high 16 kills. Junior Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) dished out 18 assists over the four sets while freshman Kerri Earle (Bethel, Conn.) also helped with serving duties as she doled out 14 assists.
The Lynx outlasted the hosts in the first set, 26-24. Trailing 24-22, the AMCATS staved off defeat with a kill from Bursie before the Lynx scored the next two points to take the set and a 1-0 lead in the match.
Lesley never trailed in the second set of the evening, jumping out to a 15-4 lead before rolling to the 25-14 set win. Abbruzzese paced the Lynx offense with five kills in the set.
The Lynx struggled in the third, hitting just a combined -.054 for the set while the AMCATS, led by five kills from Clinton, hit .250 and stayed alive with a 25-22 set victory.
Lesley jumped out to a 22-12 edge in the fourth set before Anna Maria went on a 7-1 spurt to cut the deficit to four, 23-19. Abbruzzese ended the AMCATS run with a kill before Marden ended the night with her third kill of the match as the Lynx earned the 25-19 fourth set win.
Lesley will have ten days off before they return to the court as they open up New England Collegiate Conference at Elms College on Saturday, October 4th.