Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 SEU vs. NDC Box |
SEU vs. KWU Box
THE RUNDOWN
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Edward's (2-0) took a pair of three-set victories to open the 2017 season Friday at the McArthur Center on the opening day of the Eckerd College Invitational.
The Hilltoppers beat Notre Dame College 25-18, 25-13, 25-14 behind the best team hitting percentage since Nov. 11, 2014. SEU hit .410 led by
ALEXA MCANDREW's 15 kills and .538 mark.
KATIE MARTIN and
JULIA HARTLEY posted double-doubles in the Hilltoppers' 27-25, 25-14, 25-18 win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Martin led the team's .275 hitting effort with 11 kills and 19 digs while Hartley paced the offensive attack with 16 assists and 10 digs.
HIGHLIGHTS
• SEU is now 22-21 all-time in season openers and 2-1 under Mary DeJute.
• The 2-0 start is the first under DeJute's watch, and the first since 2014 when SEU began the season 9-0.
• SEU's matches with NDC and KWU marked the first time the programs faced each other with SEU taking an early 1-0 series lead.
• Hartley's double-double vs. Kentucky Wesleyan was the 16th of her career.
• With McAndrew's sixth kill vs. NDC Friday, she passed the 250-career kills mark and has 264 heading into Saturday's matches.
• McAndrew has nine career matches with double-digit kills after her 15 kills led SEU vs. NDC.
• With Martin's fifth kill vs. NDC she surpassed 600 career kills and carries 618 into Saturday's matches.
• Martin's double-double vs. KWU was the 15th of her career.
• Martin has 31 career matches with double-digit kills after posting 12 vs. NDC and 11 vs. KWU.
• Newcomer
MADISON HEALD combined for 31 assists in her first two matches as a collegiate player.
•
MELISSA MCNEIL's seven kills in just one set of play vs. KWU were the highest among SEU players Friday without an attacking error.
• DeJute picked up her 20th SEU victory in the season-opening win over Notre Dame College; after both wins, she is 21-38 in her third year with the Hilltoppers.
STAT OF THE GAME I
.410 – St. Edward's collected 50 kills on 100 attacks with just nine errors to hit .410, the best percentage in a match under third-year head coach Mary DeJute, and the best since SEU hit .414 vs. Huston-Tillotson Nov. 11, 2014.
STAT OF THE GAME II
3 – The Hilltoppers combined for just three receiving errors in both matches.
TOP QUOTE
SEU Head Coach Mary DeJute on the team's fast start…
"It was a great team effort; overall I thought we played well. Our offense did a very nice job today; defensively we made some good adjustments. What was uplifting was that we won but there's so much improvement this team can make. They work well together, they vibe well and we're not even close to our potential.
DeJute on the veterans …
"
KATIE MARTIN did a really nice job today. Alexa [McAndrew] did very well earlier in the day and I gave her a break this afternoon and let
MELISSA MCNEIL play, and she did a very good job as a true freshman stepping in for the first time."
WHAT'S NEXT
SEU returns to the floor at the Eckerd College Invitational with two matches Saturday at 9 a.m. vs. West Georgia and 2 p.m. vs. the hosts, Eckerd College.
