Santa Maria Helps Big Green Serve up a Sweep against Providence

Friday, September 16

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

PROVIDENCE

Santa Maria Helps Big Green Serve up a Sweep against Providence

9/16/2011 9:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — Junior Alissa Santa Maria (Yorba Linda, Calif.) used an all around attack to help the Big Green upend Providence at home, 3-0, in their first match of the Dartmouth Invitational. Not only did the junior tally 29 assists and 10 digs, but she kept the Friar defense off balance the entire night with five service aces. Dartmouth improved to 6-3 and earned a win in its first home contest of the season. Providence fell to 4-9 with the loss.

The three sets look identical just by looking at the box score with Dartmouth winning all three, 25-17. Each set had its own ebb and flow, but the one constant in all three was the Big Green going on some kind of point streak. In the first set, Dartmouth used a 7-0 run to turn a 14-14 tie into a 21-14 lead. In the second, Dartmouth had two mid-size point-scoring streaks with a four-point run and a five-point run. The Big Green dug themselves into a 5-0 hole in the third, but won 21 of the next 29 points, including 10 straight, to take a commanding 21-13 lead.

Santa Maria was front and center when Dartmouth was scoring point after point. In the 10-0 run in the third set, she served for nine of the 10 points, including three straight aces. The rest of the squad also had success serving against Providence as the Big Green tallied a season-high 11 aces in the match.

Senior Madeline Baird (Austin, Texas) was the only Big Green athlete with double-digit kills with 12. She also added 10 digs. Senior Annie Villanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had seven kills. Senior Amber Bryant (Libertyville, Ill.) led the team with 13 digs.

Lauren Fletcher led the Friars with 13 kills on only 17 attempts for a .765 hitting percentage. Cassie Muzzonigro was the team leader in digs with 16.

Dartmouth takes on Central Connecticut State tomorrow at 1 p.m. and Delaware State at 5 p.m. On Friday, CCSU swept the Hornets in the first match of the Dartmouth Invitational.