Balido Leads Eagles in Season Opener

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College volleyball team started the 2018 season with a statement, sweeping Hartford on the opening day of the BC Invitational, 25-21, 25-17, 25-11, on Friday in Power Gym.

The Eagles (1-0) hit .362 percent (54 kills – 12 errors – 116 total attempts) and held the Hawks (0-1) to a .082 attack percentage (24-16-98). Boston College also recorded 7.0 team blocks to Hatford's 3.0 and out-dug the Hawks 52-32.

Junior Cat Balido recorded a double-double, leading the Eagles with 12 kills and notching 10 digs. Junior Jane DeJarld tallied a team-high 26 assists while junior Makenzie Morrison recorded 17 digs.

Boston College Invitational
Boston College 3, Hartford 0
August 24, 2018
Chestnut Hill, Mass. | Power Gym

BC HIGHLIGHTS
- Cat Balido led the offense with 12 kills, but four Eagles each recorded eight kills to balance the offensive charge: McKenna Goss, Jill Strockis, Ally Mullen and Clare Naughton.
- Two freshmen, Jewel Strawberry and Mackenzie Fuhrmann, as well as transfer Carly Kutschke, made their debut as Eagles in the win. Strawberry recorded her first career ace in the third set to secure the win for the Eagles.
- Sophomore Madison McKnight recorded two aces in the match, a career best.
- The win marks Jason Kennedy's first career victory as the head coach of the Eagles.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 – After a back-and-forth start, Hartford scored four consecutive points to hold a 9-5 lead. The Hawks later took their largest lead of the set at 19-15, but the Eagles battled back to knot the set at 19 all. BC took the lead for good after a service ace from sophomore Madison McKnight made the score 21-20. The Eagles finished on a 4-1 run, winning the set 25-21.

Set 2 – The frame started slow on both sides of the net until the Eagles went 9-1 to force a Hartford timeout with BC leading 17-8. After trading the next six points, Hartford went on a 6-0 run to trail just 21-17. The Eagles halted the charge and won the set, 25-17.

Set 3 – Boston College jumped out to a 12-1 lead in the final set, a lead the Hawks wouldn't be able to overcome. Hartford rallied within nine (16-5) before BC took off on a 5-1 tear to regain a 21-6 advantage. Hartford made a late push, scoring five straight points, but the Eagles rebounded to finish off the set, 25-11, for the match win.

Sophomore Jill Strockis
On the importance of winning the first match of the season
"It's definitely so important. We got kind of frustrated with getting ranked last in the ACC so we really wanted to show with these matches early on that we should be winning and that we can in three. It's really important that we started with this first win in three."

Sophomore Ally Mullen
On winning the season's first match
"It feels great, it definitely feels like all the work we put in in the preseason has been paying off and it shows how hard we have been working since spring."

Up Next
The Eagles continue the BC Invitational at 11 a.m. on Saturday, matching up with Providence before taking on Sacred Heart at 7 p.m.

Next Event

Team Stats

Cat Balido

McKenna Goss

Jill Strockis

Ally Mullen

Players Mentioned

Cat Balido

Jane DeJarld

Mackenzie Fuhrmann

McKenna Goss

Carly Kutschke

Madison McKnight

Makenzie Morrison

Ally Mullen

Clare Naughton

Jewel Strawberry

Jill Strockis

Players Mentioned

Cat Balido

Jane DeJarld

Mackenzie Fuhrmann

McKenna Goss

Carly Kutschke

Madison McKnight

Makenzie Morrison

Ally Mullen

Clare Naughton

Jewel Strawberry

Jill Strockis