BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) recorded 12 kills and seven blocks and freshman Grace Stafford (West Yarmouth, Mass.) added 11 kills, 15 digs, and five blocks as the Curry College women's volleyball team edged Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-2, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference match played at Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win – the first in seven series meetings for the Colonels – Curry improves to 7-10 overall and 2-3 in league play while the leopards fall to 8-15 (0-5).
Curry owned a one-set lead heading into the fourth session, but Wentworth zapped the momentum by jumping out to a 7-3 advantage. Senior Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) highlighted the beginning of the set, registering back-to-back kills before junior Amanda Hunton (Monroe, N.Y.) tallied a kill from the far side.
Following a Curry miscue, the Colonels called timeout before going on an 8-1 run to jump ahead, 11-8. Stafford jumpstarted the run with a kill from the far side, while junior Alyssa Keeney (Coventry, Conn.) and Rice each recorded one block during their team's run.
The Colonels' lead continued to grow following a service error by Wentworth and kill over the middle from Rice, but the Leopards responded as Bailey's kill sparked a 6-3 run to bring the hosts within two points (21-19). Both teams traded points following Curry's second timeout of the set before Stafford sent the ball into the net, evening the session at 23-23.
A service error against the Leopards pushed Curry ahead, 24-23, however, Wentworth responded with a block at the net followed by back-to-back kills from Bailey to even the match at 2-2.
Following Hunton's initial point of the fifth set, Curry responded with a four-point spurt, ignited by Rice's kill over the middle, but Bailey and sophomore Sydney Meyers (Washington, D.C.) helped the hosts respond with back-to-back kills to even the session at 4-4. Both teams traded points over the next few serves, staying within one or two points before Curry called a timeout with a one-point advantage (11-10).
Curry jumped ahead following their timeout on a Wentworth miscue and kill by Keeney, but Wentworth closed the gap with a kill by Bailey and block by freshman Sarah Hyndman (Encinitas, Calif.) to pull within one point (14-13). Wentworth's comeback concluded on the next serve – a service error – that provided Curry with the victory.
Wentworth utilized a pair of runs early in the opening set to jump ahead, 13-8. Kills by Bailey and sophomore Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) helped the hosts push ahead, 15-9, but Curry responded following an error against the Leopards with an 8-2 run, sparked by a kill from Stafford on the far side. A service error late in the session by Wentworth evened the set at 18-18, but sophomore Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.) helped Wentworth construct an 8-6 run with a kill over the middle, which provided the Leopards with a first set victory.
A missed hit by Wentworth early in the second set helped Curry earn momentum by jumping out to a 7-5 lead. Rice highlighted her team's run with a kill over the middle before a block on the nearside of the net. Wentworth countered with a kill by Bailey a few serves later to bring the hosts within three points (12-9) midway through the session before junior Stephanie Nihan (Dracut, Mass.) brought the Black and Gold within one point (17-16) following a kill over the middle.
Two serves later, Wentworth came again within one-point (18-17) following Bailey's kill on the nearside, but a service error against the Black and Gold helped Curry close out the session on a 7-1 run.
Curry's momentum continued in the third set following a service error against Wentworth, which provided them with a one-point (4-3) advantage. A pair of returns by Wentworth that landed out of play helped the visitors grow their lead to 8-5. However, a timeout following Curry's eighth point reenergized the Leopards to pull within three-points (11-8).
A kill by Curry junior Nicole Grambley (North Attleboro, Mass.) and an error against Wentworth pushed the visitors ahead, 13-9, but the Leopards continued to deduct the deficit down the stretch, pulling within two points three times. A kill late in the stanza by Stafford helped Curry secure momentum for good before a block by Keeney provided the Colonels with a third set victory.
Bailey and Meyers each concluded the match with 10 kills, while Carlson added 10 assists and a pair of service aces. Hyndman and Clark also recorded a pair of service aces, too. Hunton finished with 21 assists.
Grambley added eight kills for the Colonels, who also got four kills, 17 assists, and six blocks from Keeney, 15 assists and five blocks from junior Makayla Hughes (Franklin, N.H.), and three aces from Misenis.
Both teams return to action next week as Wentworth travels to Eastern Nazarene on Saturday, October 24 for an 11:00 a.m. match, while Curry hosts Salve Regina University on Tuesday, October 20 with first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
