Galloway, N.J. – Stockton University (3-2) won its home opener with a 3-0 sweep of Ursinus College (1-3) by scores of 25-12, 25-20, 25-14. The Ospreys pounded 43 kills and never trailed in the match.
Nicole Palmer (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip) spiked a match-high 16 kills and added nine digs. Freshman
Jaclyn Niven (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) tallied seven kills while fellow rookie
Ariana Bongiovanni (Charlotte, N.C./Reddington) totaled 17 assists and eight digs.
Kristen Burton (Annapolis, Md./Archbishop Spalding) contributed 15 assists and six digs.
Helen Murray (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) led the back row with 10 digs while
McKenna Ritchie (Newark, Del./Newark Charter) finished with nine digs and three aces.
Stockton raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first set and cruised to a 25-12 win behind five kills by Palmer. The Ospreys built an 8-3 lead in the second set and stayed in front by at least three on the way to a 25-20 victory.
Palmer (7 kills) and Niven (6 kills) combined for 13 of Stockton's 19 kills in the third set. The Ospreys pulled away with a 10-2 run and closed out the sweep 25-14.
Madison Small paced Ursinus with 12 kills. Mackenzie Nardone recorded 14 assists and five digs. Alexa Mazzeo scooped a match-high 14 digs for the Bears.
Stockton will host a tri-match on Saturday in which the Ospreys will play Randolph-Macon at 10:00 a.m. and Wilkes University at 2:00 p.m.
