Junior Erin Johnson led Stonehill with 18 kills and five aces in today's comeback win at Saint Rose.

Stonehill Rallies Past Saint Rose, 3-2

Skyhawks again erase two-set deficit to keep postseason hopes alive

Boxscore 

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 7, 2009) - Stonehill College maintained its postseason position by rallying for a 3-2 (21-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-20, 15-10) victory at The College of Saint Rose in a must-win Northeast-10 Conference volleyball matchup at Nolan Gymnasium this afternoon.

Junior Erin Johnson (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) led Stonehill with 18 kills and just three errors on 41 total attacks for a .366 hitting percentage to go with five service aces and two block assists. Classmate Laura Noonan (Hampstead, N.H./Bishop Guertin) hit .387 with 16 kills and only four errors on 31 attacks with two solo blocks. Junior Andrea Wirth (Mesa, Ariz./St. Mary's) dished out 48 assists to go with nine digs, while classmate Justine Thompson (Merrimack, N.H./Bishop Guertin) contributed 25 digs and three service aces. Sophomore Laura Huselton (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) chipped in with eight kills and 21 digs.

Junior Kelly Ryan (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) led a balanced Saint Rose attack with 11 kills and six blocks (two solo). Sophomore Sarah Kahrs (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) posted nine kills, 13 digs, three service aces and two blocks. Sophomore Theresa Staulo (Newton, Mass./Newton North) dished out 41 assists to go with seven digs and four blocks, while senior Mary German (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) chipped in with 30 digs and three aces.

Junior Laura Noonan added 16 kills with a .387 hitting percentage with two blocks.

Saint Rose took advantage of 14 Stonehill hitting errors in winning the first set with just six kills as a team. The set was tied at 20-20 when junior Rachel Baxter (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) had a kill and ace to put the Golden Knights up two and then sophomore Chelsea Tyler (Bernardston, Mass./Pioneer Valley) closed the set out with a kill.

Stonehill tried to rally again in the second set, knotting the score at 20-20 with a 5-0 run, four points coming with Johnson on serve. Saint Rose held the Skyhawks off with a Tyler kill and Stonehill error to close out the set.

Stonehill mounted its rally by winning the first eight points of the third set with Thompson on serve and never looked back. The Skyhawks led by as much as ten (14-4) after a Noonan ace. Johnson closed the set out with three kills. Stonehill forced a fifth set by taking control of the fourth set midway through the frame. A Michelle Thornhill (Canyon Lake, Calif./Temescal Canyon) kill and Johnson ace put the Skyhawks up five (23-18) before Noonan closed out the set with a kill.

Stonehill opened a four-point lead (10-6) in the fifth set after a Johnson kill and led by five (12-7) after a Saint Rose error to assume control in the final set. Saint Rose drew within three (13-10), but a bad set and hitting error by the Golden Knights stalled the rally and handed the Skyhawks the win.

Stonehill (15-10, 9-5 NE-10) looks to clinch a spot in next weekend's Northeast-10 Conference Tournament when it rounds out the regular season at Le Moyne College tomorrow at noon. Saint Rose closed out its season with a 15-14 record overall, 5-10 in Conference play.