CHESTNUT HILL, MA -- Pratt women's volleyball opened 2014 with a pair of convincing 3-0 wins, first over Bay Path University and then over host Pine Manor College Saturday afternoon.
Senior Diana Lezama and sophomore Hannah Calderwood led Pratt's attack, which hit .242 as a team in the win over Bay Path. The duo tied for match-high honors with nine kills each, Lezama hitting a .429 and Calderwood .412.
In the win over Pine Manor, sophomore Alice Vicente fell a pair of aces shy of an elusive three-set triple-double. The outside hitter led all players with 16 kills on 23 attempts, good for a scorching .565 hitting percentage while picking up 11 digs and firing eight service aces, leading the match in all categories.
After four straight Wildcats points put Bay Path in front 4-1, the Cannoneers took off on a 12-1 run that ultimately set the tone for the match -- if not the afternoon. With Charlotte Burch at serve, a Lezama kill pulled Pratt back in front at 6-5, and a Calderwood kill followed by a solo block from the middle hitter increased the lead to 13-5. Another Lezama kill and a Wildcats return error led to a Bay Path timeout trailing 17-6 as the Cannoneers sailed to a 25-14 win.
Before dominating the win over the Gators, Vicente left her mark on the Cannoneers win over Bay Path, throwing down a kill put Pratt on top 3-1 opening the second set. Bay Path battled back to tie the contest at 6-6 on an Elizabeth Haylette solo block, and after a Patricia Keenan timeout trailing 7-6, Vicente kills retied the set at 11-11 and swung the Cannoneers on top at 13-11. With the game tied 13-13, another kill from the sophomore transfer put Pratt ahead for good at 14-13, and her service ace extended the lead to 16-13. Another Cannoneer making her Pratt debut also impacted the set with her serve, as freshman Madelyne Grabowski gunned a pair of aces in widening the margin to 22-15 in her team's 25-15 victory.
Pratt controlled Game 3 from the outset, with an Alli Houghton ace opening play and fellow setter Abby Nagy connecting on a pass to Burch on a kill that gave Pratt an 8-3 lead. Another Calderwood solo block made the score 12-8, and a Burch kill again made it a four-point game at 15-11. Kills from Calderwood and Vicente forced game point at 24-17, and Pratt closed out the 3-0 sweep 25-17.
A pesky Pine Manor team came out determined to avenge not only a 3-1 loss to Bay Path earlier in the day but also last year's 3-2 loss to Pratt in which the Cannoneers overcame an 8-5 deciding set deficit. The Gators opened the match clinging to a narrow 14-12 advantage, leading to a timeout from Pratt head coach Patricia Keenan, after which a solo block and a kill from Burch put Pratt on top 15-13 and then 18-16. A Calderwood solo block and one of Vicente's match-best 16 kills rounded out the visitors' 25-18 Game 1 win.
Back-to-back Vicente kills sent the Black and Gold out to an 8-2 lead in the second set. One of Calderwood's match-high three solo blocks upped the lead to 12-4, and consecutive aces from Vicente again upped the lead to eight at 22-14 in Pratt's 25-19 victory.
Two more of Vicente's eight aces opened up a 5-1 lead in Game 3. A Vicente kill later upped the difference to 14-6, which commenced a 6-0 run capped by a Calderwood ace as Pratt cruised by its widest margin of the day, 25-13.
After enjoying a .242 (33 kills, 11 errors, 91 attempts) team hitting percentage in the win over Bay Path, Pratt's offense was nearly as outstanding against Pine Manor, connecting at a .236 rate (32/15/72). A reigning all-conference setter, Houghton orchestrated the standout attack, handing out 27 assists against the Wildcats and 21 in the win over the Gators, both match-highs.
At 2-0, the Cannoneers return to the court on Thursday in the team's home opener, playing host to The King's College in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
