WEST HARTFORD, CT – Pratt Institute dropped both halves of Saturday's tri-match at the University of St. Joseph (Connecticut), falling to St. Joseph's College (Maine) 3-0 before the host Blue Jays bested the Cannoneers by the same score.
In the 1:00 p.m. loss to St. Joseph's, senior Charlotte Burch led Pratt with a .286 kill percentage, totaling six kills on 14 attacks with only two errors. Freshman Julia Kubak threw down a team-high seven kills, but Burch was the only Cannoneer with an attack percentage over .056.
As a team, Pratt hit .034, while the Monks knocked a stellar .297 led by Jordynne Copp's nine kills on 13 swings (.538).
Defensively, Joan Wyeth led the Cannoneers with 14 digs, while Burch added a pair of block assists.
Against host University of St. Joseph, Pratt fell into a 5-0 hole in Game 1, but kills by Kubak and Marlena Todd, followed by a Kubak ace, forced a Blue Jays timeout trailing 19-13. St. Joseph's Jasmine Buckley threw down a kill out of the timeout, with the Jays scoring six of the final eight points to win 25-15.
After a slow start to Game 2, a Kubak kill pulled Pratt to within 12-9 before St. Joseph answered with four straight to force a Louis Sepulveda timeout. The Blue Jays responded with three straight out of the timeout to go up 19-10, going on to win 25-12.
Pratt took a 2-1 lead in Game 3 on a Hannah Calderwood kill, but four consecutive St. Joseph points capped by a Cassandra Grimaldi ace forced a Cannoneers timeout trailing 5-2. A Todd kill tied the contest at 6-6, but an 8-1 run crowned by another Grimaldi ace distanced the hosts at 18-10. Burch's kill helped cut the margin to 21-16 before a Carly Ruzbasan ace capped a St. Joseph 25-17 victory.
Calderwood led Pratt with six kills, while Wyeth totaled 10 digs, her third straight match in double figures.
In all, the Blue Jays fired eight aces, with Pratt serving two, and St. Joseph hit .250 on the attack compared to only .011 for the Cannoneers.
Pratt returns home on Monday, playing host to the College of New Rochelle at 3:00 p.m. and New Jersey City University at 7:00 in a non-league tri-match. Fans are encouraged to aid in Pratt's Kay Yow Cancer Fund raising efforts, as any fan making a cash donation will receive a pink Play4Kay Cannoneers logo koozie. Those who make a donation of $25 or greater will also receive a pink Cannoneers t-shirt, which Pratt will be wearing on the sidelines in raising awareness and funds for all forms of women's cancer.
