A five set stunner favored the blue and gold on a cold night in Goldstein Gym.
The Setters defeated the Purple Knights of Saint Michael’s College 3-2 (25-17, 19-25, 23-25, 25-14, 15-11) to snap a two match losing streak.
An ancient cliché of “win the error battle, win the match” proved true for the home team. The Setters won the error battle three times on the night, and captured the match in the process. Pace also managed 64 kills throughout the evening compared to the Purple Knight’s 56.
The Setters got a huge night from sophomore biology major Brooke Speyerer, who had 55 assists and 14 digs in the match. Senior biology major Elyse Rowland led all players with 38 on the night and senior elementary education major Nora Rugova lead Pace in points with 24.
The home team got off to a strong start in front of their 125 fans. Pace seized an early 6-3 lead off of a kill by Rugova and continued to attack throughout the set. The Setters never trailed in the first set and reeled off five straight points to snatch the momentum and an early lead.
The visiting team got momentum when the teams switched sides. The Purple Knights never trailed at any point during the second set and Katie Walsh put up some of her 18 points to secure the second set for the visitors.
The third set had the feel of a heavyweight boxing match, with both teams slugging it out to get points. There were three different times the two teams were tied in the third set and neither team lead by more than five points at any time. Yet it was the Purple Knights who took the third set 25-23.
Down one set to two, the Setters responded. The home team built up a 10-point lead, led by a huge set from senior communications major Tamilee Webb, and rolled to tie the match at two sets apiece.
The last set of the night shifted between the two teams like crates in an old ship. In the end, the home team came out with a 15-11 victory to snatch the third set.
With the win, Pace has an overall record of 15-17 and is 9-5 in the NE-10. As of now, the Setters would be the number six seed in the conference tournament.
The Setters traveled to Franklin Pierce on Nov. 13 to compete in the quarterfinals; for score updates go to the Pace Athletics home page.