Cooney Tallies 16 Kills; Lee Records Double-Double With 12 Kills and 16 Digs and Bentley Hands Out 29 Assists

GLASSBORO, N.J. – Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Cooney (Gaithersburg, Md./Covenant Life School) led all players with 16 kills to help visiting Washington College down host Rowan, 3-1, (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19) at Esbjornson Gymnasium in a non-conference volleyball match on Wednesday evening.  The Shorewomen improve to 9-1 overall, while the Profs fall to 4-6

The 9-1 mark matches the 1978 team for best record after 10 matches for a Shorewomen volleyball squad.

In the first set, Washington broke open a 7-5 lead with a 10-2 run to take a 15-7 lead on a service ace by sophomore defensive specialist Audrey Utchen (San Ramon, Calif./Monte Vista).  Junior outside hitter Kristin Lee (Dayton, Md./River Hill) ended the first set with a kill.

The Profs responded in the second set to tie the match at 1-1 by winning six of the last seven points to turn a 21-19 deficit following a Cooney kill into a 25-22 win.  A Danielle Havlicek kill for Rowan clinched the set and leveled the contest.

WC trailed 16-14 in the third set following a bad set before turning the set around with an 11-5 finish to capture the third by four points.  A ball handling error by Rowan gave Washington the lead for good at 17-16 and was part of a 6-0 run that saw the Shorewomen grab a 20-16 lead on a Cooney finisher.  After Rowan won the next three points, two of which came on back-to-back service aces by Morgan Mende, Cooney chalked up a kill to end the run and put the guests ahead 21-19.  A service error by the Profs clinched the third set for the Shorewomen.

In the fourth and last set, the Shorewomen raced out to a 7-3 lead following a bad set by the hosts.  After a kill by Rowan's Erica O'Hagan trimmed the Washington lead to 20-18, the visitors scored the final five points to take the set and match.  Sophomore right-side hitter Alexis Jordan (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Seminole Ridge) tallied the match finishing kill to give WC the four-set triumph.

For the Shorewomen, Cooney led all players with 16 kills, while freshman setter Sarah Bentley (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) set a personal-high with 29 assist.  Lee notched her sixth double-double of the campaign with 12 kills and a team-best 16 digs.  Utchen added 12 digs, while junior middle hitter Jess Daunoras (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) had three service aces to lead the team and tie for match-high.  The Shorewomen hit .244 in the victory, their fifth straight match hitting over .200. 

Mende tied Daunoras for match-high in aces with three and led the Profs in kills with seven, while Jennifer Vorel had 17 digs to lead all players.  Rebecca Dantonio had 16 assists, while Mary-Grace Testa passed out 11 helpers.  Rowan hit .179 in the match.

Both sides had nine service aces in the match.

The Shorewomen are at Marymount for a tri-match on Saturday, playing host Marymount at noon and Lycoming at 2:00 p.m.