Game Information
Score: Keiser 3, Ave Maria 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-16)
Records: Keiser (16-4, 5-3), Ave Maria (6-11, 2-6)
Location: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Ave Maria Starters: L. Ruby, M. Rivers, H. Wurster, N. Parlapiano, L. Andric, L. Smith; libero – J. Schein
Keiser Starters: N. McKown, C. Zamora, V. Hietala, N. Papineau, S. Thompson, M. Minke; libero – M. Leff
 
Highlights
Keiser volleyball dominated in convincing fashion on Saturday, sweeping Ave Maria by the final score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Student Life Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Seahawks have now swept four consecutive opponents following today's match. With the win, Keiser improves to 16-4 on the season, including 5-3 in conference play. The Seahawks also improve to a perfect 10-0 in matches played inside the SLC. Keiser finished the contest with a hitting percentage of .412, holding the Gyrenes to .178. Chantelle Zamora led the way with 11 kills, while Nicole Papineau led in assists (38) and Nikki McKown led in digs (11). Papineau also recorded a season-high five kills in the contest to go along with her assists tally.
 
How it Happened
Set One:
The Seahawks rolled in the first set, cruising to an opening 25-17 victory over the visiting Gyrenes of Ave Maria. Keiser scored the first five points of the game as Megan Minke notched two kills and Nikki McKown buried one. The Seahawks rode the momentum for most of the opening frame, forcing an Ave Maria timeout with the 9-2 advantage. The Gyrenes trimmed the gap to 15-11 after winning nine of the next 15 points. The Seahawks maintained their composure, winning 10 of the next 16 points to take the 1-0 lead. Samantha Thompson led the way in the opening set with five kills, while Chantelle Zamora, Minke and McKown combined for 10.
 
Set Two:
The two squads traded the first 12 points as the score was deadlocked at six apiece. The Seahawks rattled off three unanswered points off the service of Veera Hietala to take a 9-6 advantage. Keiser maintained at least a three-point cushion for the remainder of the set. With the Seahawks ahead 16-13, McKown took serve and took control as Keiser scored six unanswered points to take a set-high nine point lead, 22-13. The host squad held the Gyrenes at bay, winning the final set 25-18 to pull within one of the sweep.
 
Set Three:
Keiser began the third set on a mission to ensure there wouldn't be a fourth set, taking an early 8-2 advantage through the first 10 points. During the first eight points, Minke and Lindsey Keegan each recorded two kills to pave the way for the Seahawks. After Ave Maria closed the gap to three, the Seahawks scored four unanswered to stretch the lead back to seven, forcing a Gyrenes' timeout. Ave Maria trimmed the deficit to four and hung around for much of the set, but could not overcome the early deficit as the Seahawks put away the visiting conference foe by the final score of 25-16.
 
Team Leaders:
Keiser
Kills: 11 – Chantelle Zamora
Assists: 38 – Nicole Papineau
Digs: 11 – Nikki McKown
 
Ave Maria
Kills: 10 – Lexy Smith
Assists: 25 – Lauren Ruby
Digs: 10 – Jessica Schein
 
Up Next
Keiser returns to the court on Tuesday when the Seahawks take on Trinity Baptist College at 7 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Fla.