Two hours and 40 minutes and 199 points following the match’s first serve, Merrimack stuffed an attack from Marist’s sophomore outside hitter Sara Dasic, which harmlessly fell untouched onto the Red Foxes’ side of the floor. When it landed, it solidified a 15-13 victory in the fifth set of play on Sunday afternoon, good for the Warriors’ fourth straight victory, 3-2 over Marist.
Though sophomore middle blocker Morgan Thurlow and freshman outside hitter Aubrey Baker turned down Dasic’s final attack, it did not diminish her stellar play in the set, and the match. Dasic scored five kills and a block in the final set, accounting for nearly half of Marist’s (1-18, 1-8 MAAC Conference) points. Ultimately, she finished the day with 24 kills, a new career-high, and 11 digs, marking her fifth double-double on the season.
So far, Merrimack’s (6-14, 5-4 MAAC) first season in the MAAC has been a rollercoaster to say the least. After winning their first match of conference play 3-1 against Saint Peter’s, the Warriors lost their next four matches in straight sets. After finally putting their 12-set losing streak to an end, they promptly swept their next three matches, entering McCann Arena on a nine-set winning streak.
The Warriors kept their momentum rolling from their previous three matches, storming to a healthy advantage in the first set. Merrimack led 15-6 at the media timeout, playing extremely clean volleyball. They only committed four errors—one of which came on a solo block from senior middle hitter Alyssa White—throughout the entirety of the first set, which they dominated.
Merrimack presented an efficient attack in the first set, scoring 14 kills on 33 attempts. On the other side of the net, Marist struggled; the Red Foxes matched their seven kills in the set with seven errors, resulting in a .000 hitting percentage.
The second set featured much more competitive play. Marist took a quick 3-0 lead, but the Warriors fought back. The sides traded points with Merrimack continuing to hold the advantage, until a kill from Alyssa White gave Marist a 16-15 lead, their first since just five points into the set.
The back-and-forth nature continued throughout the duration of the set, and the Warriors reached set point first after a pass by Dasic fell untouched to the ground following a miscommunication.
With their backs against the wall, freshman outside hitter Taylor Miller saved the Red Foxes with back-to-back kills, setting up a set point for Marist. There, a lengthy point ended with freshman opposite hitter Avry Bryant swinging out of bounds, clinching the set for Marist and ending Merrimack’s streak of 10 consecutive sets won. Miller scored six of Marist’s 16 total kills in the set, with half coming in its waning moments.
The Foxes remained in control throughout the third set, holding a 15-10 lead at the media timeout following an ace from Claudia Kasperski. The sophomore libero served four of Marist’s five aces in the match and has recently emerged as a strong server for the Red Foxes.
Merrimack and Marist split the following ten points, leaving the Red Foxes five points away from the win with a five-point lead. Once again, they leaned on Miller late in the match, who landed kills for three of Marist’s next four points. At set point, Dasic dropped the finishing touch onto Merrimack’s side of the floor, giving Marist a 25-19 win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Warriors started the fourth set with urgency, playing to keep the match alive. They scored the first four points of the set and never looked back from there. Thurlow led Merrimack with six kills en route to a 25-16 victory, bringing the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.
Neither team could stake a distinct advantage in the fifth set, as the game remained close. However, Merrimack’s defense came into play when it mattered most, blocking four Marist attacks in the match’s final frame, including the last one from Dasic to win the set 15-13.
Marist heads back on the road next weekend, traveling to Connecticut to take on both Fairfield County-based teams. First up is another newly added program to the MAAC, Sacred Heart, which Marist has not faced off with since 2003. Then, on Sunday, the Red Foxes will have the tall task of matching up with the conference’s defending champion, Fairfield Stags, who are a pristine 9-0 in MAAC play. Both matches will begin at 1 p.m.
Edited by Jaylen Rizo
Photo by Ricky Torres
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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