Release courtesy of Pratt Athletics

               The Cannoneers improved to 3-0 to start 2014, shutting out The King's (NY) College Thursday night, 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-18) in Pratt's home opener and both teams' HVIAC opener.

                HVIAC Player of the Week Alice Vicente (Lisbon, Portugal/Artistica Arroio) turned in another astounding effort, leading all players in hammering 15 kills with a single error over 26 attempts, good for a sizzling .538 attack percentage, also picking up a match-best 17 digs. Four Cannoneers hit .200 or better, with the team hitting .273 and holding the Lions to an .064 attack. Sophomore middle hitter Hannah Calderwood(Clinton, WA/South Whidbey) added 10 digs and seven kills on 20 attempts as Pratt earned its third straight convincing 3-0 win.

                King's jumped out to an early 4-3 lead opening the night, forcing a Patricia Keenan timeout from which her Cannoneers responded with a 15-4 run. A Vicente kill forced a Lions timeout with Pratt on top 14-8, and an Abby Nagy (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) kill forced another King's timeout at 19-9. A Nagy ace and one of Diana Lezama's seven kills wrapped up Pratt's 25-16 win.

                Another Lezama (Bethesda, MD/Hotchkiss) kill after a pair of Vicente kills saw the Cannoneers coast out to a 6-2 lead in opening the second. After a Lions rally, consecutive Vicente service aces pulled Pratt back up by four at 13-9 in a 6-0 run that distanced the Black and Gold for good. Calderwood and Lezama combined on a block assist that opened up an 18-10 lead, and Pratt held King's to a match-low -.115 attack percentage for the set while hitting a match-high .300 in a 25-13 victory.

                An ace from King's Joanne Vo (Westminster, CA) and an Alexandra Rollis (Clifton Park, NY) kill led to a Cannoneers timeout trailing 7-6, but a Charlotte Burch(Lawrence, KS/Bishop Seabury) kill put Pratt back on top at 11-9, and the home team would hold the lead for good. Back-to-back Vicente aces extended the lead to 17-12, and a Lezama kill  closed out the 25-18 triumph.

                Vicente totaled five aces on the night, also a match high, and Pratt setter Alli Houghton tossed 31 assists as the Cannoneers staked an early claim on first place in the Hudson Valley by capturing the league opener.

                For King's, Rollis led the way with 10 kills and a .258 average, adding nine digs as the Lions fell to 0-2 (0-1 HVIAC).

                Pratt returns to play on Friday, September 12, playing host to Cooper Union in non-league play.