PAXTON, Mass. – Mount Ida went to five sets in their final women's volleyball match of the year, but fell 3-2 at Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Anna Maria on Friday night. Along the way, senior Emily Hutvagner (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and junior Nicole Peixoto (New Bedford, Mass.) were among several Mustangs who set personal single-game records.
Hutvagner, playing in her final game as a Mustang, set a new career best with 14 kills in the match, while Peixoto equaled the mark she set earlier this year by handing out 39 assists.
Hillary Kostner (Corona, Calif.), also playing her final NCAA game, set her own personal best with 18 digs to go with nine kills, and freshman Lucianna Medici (Riverside, R.I.) tallied a career-high ten digs for the third time this season.
Sophomore libero Kelcey Koolman (Bedford, N.H.) led all players with 21 digs, and finishes the season with 441 digs, far and away the best on the team and good for third in the GNAC.
Hutvagner made just two errors for a hitting percentage of .375. Junior Nicole Batakis (East Longmeadow, Mass.) had five kills on nine attempts with just one error, for a team-leading .444 attacking percentage.
Peixoto served three services aces, as did graduating senior Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.), who had five kills, four assists and four digs in her final Mount Ida game.
The AMCATS (11-15, 3-8 GNAC), who set a new school mark for wins in a season, took the first game 25-23 but the Mustangs responded winning the next two (25-21, 25-22). The AMCATS battled back and posted a 25-22 victory in game four and then scratched out the deciding fifth set, 15-11 for the 3-2 victory.
In the back and forth fifth game, the teams were tied at nine before a kill by Jackie Clinton helped them pull ahead 11-9. The teams would trade miscues and Anna Maria would still hold a two point advantage, 12-10. Mount Ida pulled to within one 12-11 with a kill from Haley Paradis (Hampton, N.H.), who had seven, but a service error on their next play had them trailing 13-11. AMC's Samantha Parker would serve out the final two points to send the AMCATS to victory.
Sophomore Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) broke her own team record with 38 assists over the five setter while Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, MA) led AMC with 15 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Rodriguez had a solid game with 15 digs on the back line along with five kills and a block and freshman Michelle Connolly (Quincy, Mass.) recorded 13 digs and three service aces.
Mount Ida (4-27, 0-11 GNAC) wraps up their season by winning five of their last eight sets after a 3-0 win over Salem State on Senior Night last Tuesday.