Box Scores
Merrimack (W, 3-2)
Bentley (W, 3-0)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Playing away from home for the first time in 2016, East Stroudsburg University continued its winning ways at the Merrimack Invitational on Friday, picking up a pair of non-conference women's volleyball victories to get the weekend tournament underway.

The Warriors rallied from two sets down to defeat the tournament hosts in the opener (17-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, 15-7) before completing a 3-0 sweep of Bentley (25-21, 26-24, 25-21) later in the afternoon.

ESU (8-3) has now won five matches in a row overall. Freshman Sarah Smith (17 kills, 13 digs) and junior Desiree Claxton (14 kills, 17 digs) each registered double-doubles against Merrimack, while sophomore Tina Predojevic (12 kills, 25 assists, 10 digs) earned her second triple-double of the season against Bentley.

The Warriors had three set points during the second set versus Merrimack (1-9), the last of which came at 26-25, but the hosts claimed three-straight points to take a commanding 2-0 advantage in the match. The teams were then tied at 16-16 in the following set before a 5-1 run for ESU, capped by a block from juniors Maddie Reichard and Courtney Miller, gave the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.

 A kill from Smith clinched the fourth set, as ESU recovered from an early 7-2 deficit, and the Warriors never trailed during the decisive final set. The victory was ESU's first in a five-set match this fall, and it was the program's first comeback from two sets down since Oct. 9, 2010 against Mercyhurst.

Reichard added 12 kills in the triumph, while Miller chipped in 10 kills behind a team-best .412 attack percentage.

ESU's sweep of Bentley (1-8) was its fifth 3-0 decision of the season. After trailing throughout the opening set, the Falcons used a 7-1 spurt to move ahead 22-21 late in the second set, and they earned a set point at 24-23 shortly afterwards. Reichard and Smith responded, however, with back-to-back kills, and a block from Smith and Miller wrapped up the set for the Warriors.

ESU won 16 of the first 20 points to start set three before a furious Falcon rally reduced the margin to 22-21 and led to a timeout from head coach Allison Keeley. Predojevic halted the run with a kill after the break, and junior Lydia Redman clinched the match with an ace two points later.

Reichard tied for the team lead with 12 kills, and her .733 attack percentage was the highest output for any Warrior hitter this fall (minimum 12 kills). Smith added 11 kills to reach double figures for the ninth time in 2016, while Claxton led the team defensively with 21 digs.

Predojevic's 12 kills matched a career high. She becomes only the third ESU player since 2002 to have multiple triple-doubles during her collegiate career.

Claxton made her season debut for the Warriors after missing the first two weekends due to injury. The junior had 250+ kills and assists in both of her first two seasons and was fourth in the PSAC in kills per set (3.58) as a sophomore. She had her 20th career double-double in Friday's first match. 

The Warriors remain at Merrimack for two more matches on Saturday. ESU faces American International at 10 a.m. before a tough 2 p.m. matchup with a Nebraska-Kearney squad ranked No. 5 in the most-recent AVCA coaches' poll.