WATERVILLE, Maine – The UW-Stout women's volleyball team improved to 2-1 on the season with a pair of decisive victories on Saturday at the Colby College Invitational, held at the Margaret M. Crook Center. The Blue Devils first dispatched Maine Maritime Academy 3-0 before rebounding from a slow start to defeat Endicott College 3-1 handing both teams their first losses of the season.
Game 1: UW-Stout 3, Maine Maritime 3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-20)
In the morning matchup, Stout dominated from the outset, limiting the Mariners to just 22 kills while forcing 22 errors en route to a straight-sets sweep. The Blue Devils hit .233 as a team (31 kills, 11 errors, 86 attempts), compared to Maine Maritime's .000 attack percentage (22-22-99).
Brooke McCune led the charge with a match-high 15 kills on a stellar .452 hitting percentage, adding 11 digs for another double-double performance. Setter
Lainey Todd orchestrated the offense with 19 assists and six digs, while
Kailey Kline tallied five aces and 13 digs.
Kyra Giffen contributed five kills and a .250 hitting clip, and
Sloan Horgan added four kills.
Maja Anderson added three service aces.
Stout's defense shone brightly, holding Maine Maritime to negative momentum in the first two sets (-.125 and .000 hitting percentages). Stout opened on a 10-3 lead and held a 17-6 advantage, before taking the set 25-11. In the second, Stout quickly raced out to a 15-3 advantage. Three service aces highlighted the final six points as Stout again took the set 25-11.
In the third set, Maine Maritime mounted a brief rally to tie at 20-20. But Stout responded with a 5-0 finishing stretch, including the final kill from McCune.
Game 2: UW-Stout 3, Endicott 1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-19)
In the afternoon match, Stout dropped the first set but roared back to win the next three, hitting .176 overall (51-23-159) to Endicott's .075 (42-30-160). The Blue Devils outblocked the Gulls 20-11 and edged them in digs 74-72, with 123 fans witnessing the 123-minute battle.
McCune once again starred with 15 kills (.231 hitting percentage) and a team-high 21 digs for her third straight double-double to open the season.
Sloan Horgan was right behind with 12 kills (.241) and three assisted blocks for 13.5 points, while
Emma Barton chipped in 11 kills (.280) and a block.
Brynn Hessel provided middle support with seven kills and a match-high nine assisted blocks for 11.5 points total.
Todd dished out 31 assists, a service ace, and seven digs, with
Kailey Kline adding a service ace and 18 digs.
Nadia Marchionda contributed 10 assists and two aces off the bench.
Endicott jumped to a 16-9 lead in the first set. Stout fought back late but fell 25-21. The Blue Devils flipped the script in the second, hitting .357 (14-4-28) to Endicott's -.067, winning 25-15 fueled by a 11-5 run.
The third set was a thriller, with Stout erasing a 15-9 deficit to take a 25-23 victory. In the fourth, the Blue Devils maintained control, closing on a 6-1 run with the final block coming from Hessel and Bushendorf sealing the 25-19 win.
The Blue Devils return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 9 when they travel to St. Paul, Minn. to face St. Catherine. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
