For The Dialog
ALAPOCAS – Senior Erin Derick and sophomore Savannah Seemans combined for 24 kills, seven blocks, seven digs and 35 assists to lead St Mark’s to a sweep of Friends in nonconference volleyball on Sept. 12. The Spartans won by set scores of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-17.
The Spartans, ranked fifth in the 302 Sports poll, took a back-and-forth first set. They raced out to a 16-6 lead in the second after a powerful kill by Derick. Quakers junior Danielle Nathan tried to bring the Quakers back after a couple big kills, but Seemans and Gillian Lytle led another Spartans run. Lytle closed out the second set with a thunderous kill.
The Spartans fell behind early in the third set as Nathan dented the gym floor with a few kills. But St. Mark’s then threw a block party behind Seemans, Derick, Lytle and Katie Husbands. They used the blocks to complete an 8-0 run to give the Spartans 19-13 lead. Abigail Thibodeau closed out the match with her sixth kill to help the Spartans improve to 2-0.
Derick had 12 kills, two blocks and 14 assists. Seemans finished with 12 kills, five blocks and 21 assists. The Spartans host Smyrna on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Nathan paced the Quakers with 17 kills in their first match of the season. They will travel to Padua on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
