The rocky start to Stony Brook’s non-conference schedule continued Friday afternoon, as the Seawolves fell in straight sets to the Boston College Eagles 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 in NCAA Women’s Volleyball non-conference action at the Fairfield Invitational.
The Seawolves, who have now lost four of their five matches of the season, played better than a three-set sweep would typically indicate. The team had its share of opportunities, making 13 more total attacks in the match than the Eagles, but too often shot themselves in the feet with errors. Serving was particularly nightmarish for Stony Brook; the team had just three aces against eight errors from the back stripe.
Senior outside hitter Kathy Fletcher led the Seawolves in kills, spiking 12 in the match and increasing her team-high season total to 63. Freshman outside hitter McKyla Brooks added nine kills, continuing her season’s stellar start. The Buffalo native has a very efficient attacking percentage of .271 on the year.
Leading Boston College, which boasts a record that remains perfect at 4-0 with the win, was senior outside hitter Katty Workman, who had a game-high 16 kills and 11 digs for her double-double. Junior right side attacker Julia Topor chipped in with nine kills.
All three sets were competitive, with Stony Brook giving itself a decent chance to prevail in each, but it was just not meant to be. In the first set, the Seawolves used a late 4-1 run to get within a point of their ACC opponents at 22-23 before dropping the next two points and losing the set.
Stony Brook held semi-comfortable leads in both the second and third sets, sitting atop the scoreboard 16-13 and 17-14 late in the two sets, respectively. The Eagles battled hard, however. In the second set, Boston College responded by going on an 8-0 run to pull away, while in the third set, the team went on a similar 5-1 streak to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Seawolves are back on the Fairfield Invitational court Saturday afternoon, where they will face Marshall and Holy Cross in a double-header, seeking their second victory of the season.
