North Easton, MA – The Mercyhurst Lakers Volleyball team battled hard but ultimately fell to Stonehill College in five sets (16-25, 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 14-16) in a closely contested match on Friday night at Merkert Gymnasium. The Lakers took a 2-1 lead after three sets but were unable to hold off a late surge by the Skyhawks. 

How It Happened: 

The Lakers started slowly in the first set, struggling to find their rhythm as Stonehill took control early, winning the set 25-16. Mercyhurst hit just .057 in the opening frame. 

Mercyhurst bounced back in the second set with a strong offensive showing, hitting .286 as Paige Miller and Kaitlin Murphy led the charge. The Lakers controlled the set from start to finish, winning 25-17. 

The third set was a tightly contested battle, with Mercyhurst edging out Stonehill 25-23. Paige Miller continued to shine, contributing key kills, while Alia Mastromatteo set up her teammates with precision. Mercyhurst managed to capitalize on Stonehill's errors, taking a 2-1 lead. 

Stonehill regained their footing in the fourth set, winning 25-21, and forcing a decisive fifth set. The Skyhawks held off a resilient Lakers squad in a back-and-forth fifth set, narrowly winning 16-14 to take the match. 

Notable Performances: 

• Paige Miller led the Lakers with 17 kills and 13 digs, hitting .333. 

• Kaitlin Murphy contributed 8 kills, hitting .412, while also adding 4 service aces. 

• Abby Miller had an impressive hitting night, finishing with 9 kills on a .529 hitting percentage. 

• Alia Mastromatteo paced the Lakers with 19 assists and 10 digs. 

• Alyssa Krause had her hand in a number of points, finishing with 25 assists. 

Up Next: 

The Lakers and Skyhawks will do battle again tomorrow afternoon.  Start time for the match is set for 4 PM.