CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (September 7, 2024) - The Stonehill College volleyball team split its final two matches of the Harvard Invitational on Saturday, falling to the University of New Hampshire before defeating Merrimack College in a five-set match at the Malkin Athletic Complex.
 
New Hampshire 3, Stonehill 0 (25-27, 16-25, 16-25)
 
Highlights

• Junior Mia Berardino (Rowley, Mass.) led Stonehill in kills for the fourth straight match, recording nine and a block assist for 9.5 points with a .273 hit percentage.
• Sophomore Sammy Franco (San Jose, Calif.) had a career-high seven kills with an assist and a dig, playing three sets for the first time this season.
• Senior Emma Graves (Vestal, N.Y.) had her fifth match with six or more kills and had two block assists as well as a dig.
• Sophomore Abby Farrell (Reading, Mass.) had seven kills on a season-high .600 hit percentage to go along with four digs and three block assists.
• Sophomore Amaya Parnell (Pepperell, Mass.) led the Skyhawks with 16 assists, one kill, one ace, and three digs.
• Sophomore Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.) had 14 assists with a kill and a team-high 10 digs.

SET 1 | Stonehill took an early lead in the first set, going up by as much as four points, 12-8, after kills from Farrell and senior Leah Michalowski (Holden, Mass.). A block from Berardino and Farrell made it 15-10 in favor of the Skyhawks but UNH continued to chip away at its deficit, scoring six of the next eight points to make the score 17-16. Stonehill recovered, building a 24-21 lead in the set but the Wildcats rallied, winning the set 27-25.
 
SET 2 | New Hampshire started the second set strong, building a 10-4 lead and using their momentum to build a match-high 11-point lead, 18-7. The Skyhawks tried to rally with a pair of kills from Berardino to trim the deficit to seven, 23-16, but it was too late as the Wildcats closed out the set, 25-16.
 
SET 3 | UNH jumped out to a 6-0 lead, holding at least a four-point advantage for the remainder of the third set, closing out the match with a 25-16 set win.
 
Stonehill 3, Merrimack 2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11)
 
Highlights

• Junior Mia Berardino (Rowley, Mass.) had a team-high and career-high 18 kills and led the Skyhawks in kills for the fifth consecutive match. Berardino chipped in three service aces, a block assist, five digs, and a season-high .438 hit percentage in the win.
• This was the first Skyhawk win over Merrimack as non-conference opponents as the two programs were Northeast-10 and Northeast Conference foes before the Warriors transitioned to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this year.
• Sophomore Georgia Murphy (Plano, Texas) recorded double-digit kills for the second time this season, recording 11 kills and a block assist.
• Senior Emma Graves (Vestal, N.Y.) was second on the team with 13 points, tallying 10 kills, two solo blocks, and two block assists.
• Freshman Paloma Gonzalez Jaramillo (Wylie, Texas) reached a season-high seven kills, playing all five sets for the first time in her young career, while notching a block assist and four digs.
• Sophomore Abby Farrell (Reading, Mass.) recorded 10.5 points, continuing to dominate while serving to pick up five more aces as she leads the Skyhawks with 15 on the season.
• Sophomore Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.) had a career-high 28 assists as the setter down the stretch for the Skyhawks, notching 10 digs on the defensive end as well.
• Sophomore Sarah Frager (Mooresville, N.C.) had a great game on the defensive side of the ball, notching a career-high 16 digs.

SET 1 | A back-and-forth first set was a sign of things to come in a tightly contested match for all five sets as neither team could gain any separation until Merrimack used three straight scores to take a five-point lead late in the set, 23-18. Stonehill rallied for four of the next five points but an attack error gave the Warriors a 25-22 set win.
 
SET 2 | The Skyhawks took an early 10-6 lead in the second set but a 4-0 run from Merrimack tied the score, 10-10. Stonehill would take a 17-15 lead midway through the set but another four-point stretch put the Warriors back out in front as they carried their momentum to a 25-23 win.
 
SET 3 | Stonehill would take another early lead, scoring four of the first five points of the set before going up by as much as seven, 13-6, with Berardino leading the charge with four kills in that stretch. Four straight errors from the Warriors and another three kills from Berardino gave Stonehill a 20-8 edge. The Skyhawks closed out the third set, 25-15, making it a 2-1 match lead for Merrimack.
 
SET 4 | The fourth set was just as close as the first, with the two teams being knotted up at 14-14 after seven lead changes. Stonehill rattled off five consecutive scores off three Merrimack errors to take a 19-14 lead. A 6-3 run from the Skyhawks set the two longtime foes up for a fifth set as Stonehill won, 25-18.
 
SET 5 | Merrimack started off the deciding set with a 4-1 run but the Skyhawks didn't waver, scoring the next six points with Frager landing two aces. The Warriors would keep it close, staying within one point, 8-7. Another big run from the Skyhawks made it 13-8, eventually leading to a Berardino kill to win the set and match, 15-11.
 
Up Next
Stonehill Volleyball will compete in the 19th annual Friar Classic on the campus of Providence College, taking on Columbia on Friday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. in the Skyhawks' first match of the weekend.

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