Richard Stockton (31-5) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 25-16, 25-23, 25-22 sweep of Rivier (27-9) in a first-round match of the New York Regional at Clarkson University. A pair of seniors led the Ospreys to their 26th consecutive win. Nicole Serekian tallied a match-high nine kills plus seven digs and five assists. Mayan Alvarado chipped in with 12 assists, eight digs and four aces.
Shannon Clark dished 18 assists and Emily Grube scooped a match-high 17 digs. Macy Schwartz contributed six kills and four blocks while Kasey Hennecke added six kills and five digs. Stockton won its NCAA first-round contest for the second consecutive year and earned their third NCAA tournament win in school history.
After exchanging points early, Stockton pulled away and won the first set 25-16 behind six kills by Serekian. The Ospreys trailed or were tied for almost the entire second set and faced a late 23-21 deficit before rallying with four consecutive points to win the frame 25-23. Two of the points during the spurt came on kills by Hennecke.
Stockton quickly fell behind 6-1 in the third set but answered with a 13-4 run to take a 14-10 lead. The outburst was keyed by Schwartz and Lindsay Schuele with two kills apiece plus two aces by Alvarado. Rivier closed the gap to 23-22 late, but Stockton ended the threat with a timeout followed by another kill from Schwartz and a Rivier hitting error on match point to clinch the 25-22 win for the Ospreys.
Stockton will play its NCAA second-round match at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Clarkson. The Ospreys will be trying to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
