COLCHESTER, Vt. - Behind a historic blocking performance, the Saint Michael's College women's volleyball team avenged a recent loss to Northeast 10 Conference foe Saint Anselm College with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17) victory on Tuesday evening in the Ross Sports Center.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (6-13, 3-2 NE10), Saint Anselm (9-8, 1-3 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Ella Patterson (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago), 5 kills, 9 digs, 5 blocks, 3 aces
• Senior Dana Welch (Howell, N.J./Donovan Catholic), 7 blocks
• Junior Grace Almeida (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), 5 kills, 7 blocks, 3 aces
• Junior Ashley Marshall (Escondido, Calif./Escondido Charter), 17 assists
• Junior Emily Winefield (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack), 9 digs, 4 aces
• Sophomore Anna Daggett (Hinesburg, Vt./Champlain Valley Union), 21 digs, 4 assists
• Sophomore Nora Schulze (Hingham, Mass./Hingham), 9 kills, 4 blocks
• First-year Lillie King (Livermore, Calif./Carondelet), 5 kills
• First-year Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth), 13 digs, 11 assists, 2 aces
• First-year Rory Tower (Fountain Hills, Ariz./Desert Mountain), 5 kills, 13 blocks

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Madeline Burke, 21 digs
• Sophomore Taylor Lacerda, 9 kills, 12 digs
• First-year Mckenna O'Connell, 31 assists, 8 digs, 3 kills, 3 blocks

MATCH FACTS

• Saint Michael's, which won its second consecutive home meeting with the Hawks, had lost at Saint Anselm, 3-0, on Sept. 26 during non-league play, cracking the 20-point barrier in only one set.
• The Purple Knights were responsible for 20 blocks on Tuesday, the most by an NCAA Division II team in a four-set match this fall. They were the most for Saint Michael's since notching 20 in a five-setter against Middlebury College on Oct. 31, 2006, but the highest total in a four-setter since posting 20 in a neutral site match with Hunter College on Sept. 4, 2004. Since complete records became available in 2005, the Purple Knights had never recorded more than 15 blocks against an NE10 opponent, totaling 15 versus Southern Connecticut State University on Aug. 28, 2007, in five sets.
• In addition to holding a 20-8 lead in blocks, the Purple and Gold gained advantages in aces (14-7) and digs (77-74).
• Tower's block figure is the highest in the known history of the program, over the past 20 years. Prior to her, the only Purple Knight known to accumulate as many as even 12 blocks in a match was Katie Ouellette '06 on Oct. 28, 2003, with 12 in a five-setter at Middlebury. Since complete records became available in 2005, only Candace Washington '16 and McKenzie McNamara '18 had reached double digits against NE10 competition, with the former notching 10 versus Adelphi University Nov. 6, 2015, and the latter adding 10 at Pace University on Nov. 5, 2016.
• Tower's 73 blocks this season are tied for 10th in program history with Washington (2014); Almeida has 70. Almeida's 59 block assists put her third and Tower is fourth at 56. Almeida moved into a tie with Justine Fletcher '09 for third in school annals in career block assists (134) while nudging past Fletcher to take over seventh in total blocks (165).

THE ACTION

• Thanks to three kills from sophomore D'Niaya Settles (Ames, Iowa/Ames), the Purple Knights led 6-1 in the opening set and were ahead 9-4 on Tower's kill before Lacerda put down four kills in a 13-2 response. After trailing by as many as seven points, the hosts rallied within 23-21 before committing consecutive errors.
• The second set featured 10 ties and six lead changes. The Purple Knights' 9-4 lead was the largest by either team, and the hosts later snapped a 22-all tie on the stretch of three straight Hawk errors, with Almeida and Welch combining on a block at set point.
• After trailing by as much as 15-9 in set No. 3, the Purple Knights compiled a capping 16-4 run. Six points were secured on blocks and only four on kills, with Tower notching a clinching ace.
• Two Almeida aces helped the hosts lead 6-1 in the fourth set. After the Hawks crept within 10-9, King had two kills in a key 4-0 run, and Saint Michael's never again led by fewer than three points.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• Saturday vs. Assumption University, 1 p.m.
• The Purple Knights host a Morgan's Message Match that day.