CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Lesley University improved to 6-11 on the season with a 3-0 win (25-15, 25-14, 25-9) over Mass Maritime Thursday night in non-conference women's volleyball play at the Nicholas Athletics Center.
The Lynx tied a season best with 20 service aces, a season-high five coming from sophomore setter Rachel Frederickson (Marston Mills, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth) and another five from junior Katrina Stroganoff (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove). Even without kills-per-set leader Megan Ortwein in the lineup, the Lynx attack hit .357, easily the team's best showing of the season, cruising past the Buccaneers in three sets.
Senior Kaitlyn Miller (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill) and sophomore Danielle Johnson (Waterford, CT/Waterford) each totaled a match-best nine kills with only one error on 12 attempts, good for .667 hitting percentages, both players' season bests.
For the Buccaneers, junior Alex Burgess-Chrost (Leominster, MA/Leominster) led the way with four service aces and six digs, and sophomore Deb Langley (Abington, MA/South Shore Voke) added three aces as MMA fell to 2-23.
Mass Maritime jumped out to a 6-2 lead to start the night after a service ace from Langley, but Lesley responded to take its first lead at 9-8 on Stroganoff's first ace. An Burgess-Christ ace tied the set at 12-12 and the Bucs briefly regained the lead thanks to a Lynx service error at 13-12.
Tricia Lawler's Lynx responded by ripping off a 13-2 run capped by two Johnson kills that sealed the 25-15 win.
The Lynx took the lead at 6-5 on consecutive Miller service aces, extended the lead to 11-7 on back-to-back Donna Niosi (Quincy, MA/Quincy) aces and went up 14-8 thanks to two Tori Hoefs (Avalon, CA/Avalon) aces in a row. Two straight Stroganoff aces made it a 21-10 lead, and Lesley went on to win by the score of 25-14.
A pair of Frederickson aces surrounding a Hoefs kill put Lesley on top 6-0 to open Game 3, and one of Miller's nine kills forced a Maritime timeout trailing 10-1. The Lynx then went on an 8-0 run, with freshman setter Alexandria Dimond (Leominster, MA/Leominster) collecting five assists in her first set of the season, with Lesley winning easily, 25-9.
The Lynx return to the court Friday night at 8:00 in match three of a four-match homestand, returning to New England Collegiate Conference play against Becker College. Prior to the contest, the team will host Senior Night festivities honoring Miller and Ortwein before the pair's final home NECC match.
