Volleyball Falls to Smith and Vassar to Conclude Bonnie May Invitational

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team concluded the Bonnie May Invitational Saturday afternoon, falling to hosts Smith College (Smith), 3-0, before dropping a 3-0 decision to Vassar College (Vassar), inside Ainsworth Gymnasium on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Mass. With the results, the Blue Jays fall to 0-7 on the season, while the Bears move to 5-2 and the Brewers, who defeated Dean College earlier in the morning, move to 5-1

USJ 0, SMITH 3 (13-25, 17-25, 9-25)

• Junior outside hitter Payton Yazmer (Killingworth, Conn.) and junior middle blocker Vivian Pawloski (Wallingford, Conn.) provided early kills to keep USJ within reach at 7-5
• The Blue Jays continued to battle behind steady defense from sophomore libero Alyssa Dugas (Newington, Conn.), but Smith closed on a strong run to take the opener, 25-13.
• Graduate outside hitter Emilia Dugas (Newington, Conn.) sparked the Blue Jays with a kill and an ace as USJ grabbed a 9-7 lead.
• Junior outside hitter Shaye Harris (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Pawloski added points at the net to keep the set tight, but Smith pulled away late with a 6-1 run to claim it, 25-17.
• Harris and Yazmer chipped in early kills to keep USJ within 10-6, while Dugas added a dig and a service point to steady the defense.
• The Bears responded with a long scoring run down the stretch, closing out the match with a 25-9 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Haris paced the team with three kills.
• Wanner dished out eight assists.
• Alyssa Dugas tallied a team-best nine digs.
• The Bears outhit the Blue Jays, 38.8% to negative 10.3%
• Emilia Dugas notched the lone service ace for USJ.

USJ 0, VASSAR 3 (10-25, 20-25, 11-25)

• The Brewers raced out to a commanding 9-1 lead and never looked back.
• Harris and Emilia Dugas each tallied kills to spark brief rallies, but Vassar's offense was too efficient, hitting over .600 to secure the opening frame, 25-10.
• USJ responded with its best set of the match, pulling even at 12-12 after a Harris kill and back-to-back errors forced by the Blue Jays' defense.
• Emilia Dugas added a service ace to keep things tight, but Vassar closed on a late run to take the set, 25-20, and a 2-0 match lead.
• USJ started strong behind a Weiss kill and an early Harris swing to lead 2-0 in the third set.
• The Brewers countered with a decisive 12-3 run and kept control the rest of the way, sealing the sweep.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Harris led the team offensively for the second-straight match, recording nine kills.
• Wanner dished out a team-best 10 assists.
• Alyssa Dugas notched 10 digs. 

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays continue a six-match road trip, making a stop in Fitchburg, Mass., on Wednesday, September 10 to face Fitchburg State. Opening serve against the Falcons inside Parkinson Gymnasium is set for 6:00 p.m.

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