Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 EASTON, Mass. (August 31, 2024) - The Stonehill College volleyball team defeated the College of Holy Cross in a five-set thriller before falling to Siena College in three sets on the second and final day of the 2024 Skyhawk Invitational at Merkert Gymnasium.
 
GAME 1: Stonehill 3, Holy Cross 2 (20-25, 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 15-10)
 
Highlights

• Sophomore Georgia Murphy (Plano, Texas) set a new career-high with 19 kills to lead all players in the match with a total of 20 points.
• Sophomore Amaya Parnell (Pepperell, Mass.) also set a career-high, handing out 34 assists in the match while notching two kills and 11 digs for the Skyhawks.
• Stonehill went 2-4 in matches that went five sets a season ago, defeating Central Connecticut State in both five-set matches.
• Senior Emma Graves (Vestal, N.Y.) and sophomore Abby Farrell (Reading, Mass.) had nine kills each while Farrell led the match with six aces.
• Sophomore Sarah Frager (Moorseville, N.Y.) started at libero for the Skyhawks, leading the team with 12 digs while pitching in four aces and four assists.
• Junior Mia Berardino (Rowley, Mass.) had 16 kills and three aces in the win for Stonehill.

 
SET 1 | Holy Cross jumped out to an 11-6 lead early in the opening set as Gracie Reisman and Maeve Bailey each converted on two kills for the Crusaders. Stonehill scored the next three points to keep the score within two, eventually trailing 13-11 but a 9-5 scoring for Holy Cross gave the visitors a 22-16 advantage. The Crusaders would cruise to a 25-20 victory in the first set.
 
SET 2 | Despite Holy Cross scoring the first three points of the second set, Stonehill's offense caught fire as Berardino had four points alone (two kills, two aces) as the Skyhawks built a 13-9 lead. Stonehill would go up by as much as six, 18-12, before seven consecutive scores from the Crusaders gave them a 19-18 lead. Stonehill responded as back-to-back kills from Berardino and an ace from Parnell secured a 25-20 set win for the Skyhawks.
 
SET 3 | The third set began with the two teams going back-and-forth but the Crusaders found a rhythm and ignited for a 9-2 scoring burst, taking a 14-9 lead halfway through the set. After falling behind 18-14, Stonehill rattled off four kills and an ace consecutively to take a late lead, 19-18. The score would be tied up 24-24 but Murphy came through with a kill and Frager ended the set with an ace to put the Skyhawks up 2-1 in the match.
 
SET 4 | The fourth set had 14 ties as the two teams battled with Stonehill falling behind by as much as four points, 13-9, but retaliated with four straight scores to tie the set at 13 all. Holy Cross took the lead five more times before the end of the match but even as Stonehill answered every time, the Crusaders kept stringing points together, eventually winning the set 26-24 and tying the match at 2-2.
 
SET 5 | A fifth and final set started just as close as the rest with both sides trading scores as the first 10 points flip-flopped to make it a 5-5 score. A kill from and back-to-back aces from Farrell were part of four straight points from the Skyhawks, a lead that Stonehill never gave up. Murphy iced the game with a pair of kills to secure a 15-10 win in the set and a 3-2 win in the match at Merkert Gym.
 
GAME 2: Siena 3, Stonehill 0 (19-25, 20-25, 20-25)
 
Highlights

• Berardino and Murphy each had seven kills and a block assist to lead the Skyhawks.
• Freshman Paloma Gonzalez Jaramillo (Wylie, Texas) came off the bench and made an immediate impact, converting on 40% of her attacks for four kills with an ace and four block assists.
• Senior Leah Michalowski (Holden, Mass.) led the team with a .444 hit percentage coming off of six kills.
• Graves also contributed offensively with eight points on six kills, a solo block, and two block assists.
• Sophomore Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.) led Stonehill with 15 assists, falling one shy of her career-best mark.

SET 1 | Stonehill and Siena traded points early in the first set but the Saints took a 9-5 lead thanks to four consecutive scores, never letting the Skyhawks tie the score for the remainder of the set. Siena would win the first frame 25-19 with five aces and 14 kills leading the charge.
 
SET 2 | Siena only trailed at two points during the second set, remaining in control for most of the frame. Despite the Skyhawks outpacing the Saints in kills, 12-11, Siena had another five aces in the second set to fuel their offense to a 25-20 win, putting them up 2-0 in the match.
 
SET 3 | A back-and-forth start had the score tied at 7-7 but after a service error gave Siena an 8-7 lead, the Saints never looked back, building a 20-10 lead over the next 16 points before taking the set, 25-20, and completing the 3-0 sweep over the Skyhawks.
 
2024 Skyhawk Invitational All-Tournament Team
 
MVP: Outside Hitter - Panna Ratkai – Purdue Fort Wayne
Right Side Hitter - Abby Stratford – Purdue Fort Wayne
Middle Hitter - Jena Medearis – Purdue Fort Wayne
Right Side – Gracie Reisman – Holy Cross
Outside Hitter – Abbie Lane – Holy Cross
Outside Hitter – Mia Berardino – Stonehill
Right Side – Emma Graves – Stonehill
Right Side - Olga Sawinska – Siena
Outside Hitter - Sara Wagner – Siena
 
Up Next
Stonehill volleyball plays Bryant University at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I. on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. in a non-conference contest.
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