QUINCY, Mass. – Senior Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) and junior Stephanie Nihan (Dracut, Mass.) each recorded nine kills and combined for eight digs and a trio of blocks as the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team defeated Eastern Nazarene College, 3-1, on Saturday morning in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.
With the win, the Leopards snapped their five-game conference-losing streak, earning their initial CCC victory (1-5), while improving to 9-15 overall. Eastern Nazarene dips to 3-22 and 0-6.
Sophomore Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.) conclude the match with a season-high 30 assists, along with a trio of service aces, while classmate Sydney Meyers (Washington, D.C.) tallied eight kills and seven digs. Sophomore Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) recorded seven kills and two digs, freshman Lillie Clark (Vista, Calif.) recorded a career-high 34 digs and junior Amanda Hunton (Monroe, N.Y.) registered a season-best 13 digs.
Eastern Nazarene senior Hannah Welsh (Derry, N.H.) recorded a season-best 13 kills, along with 19 digs, sophomore Kayla Dean (Lansdale, Pa.) pitched in a season-high 17 assists, while classmate Madisen Robinson (West Grove, Pa.) recorded a match-high four service aces.
Wentworth jumped out to an early lead off five consecutive serves from Hunton before junior Joanna Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) and Welsh halted the spur with back-to-back kills, igniting a five-point run to push the hosts ahead, 6-5. Both teams then swapped points over the next few serves before an attack error later in the frame against the Lions resulted in a five-to-two run for the Leopards to claim the first set by a score of 25-22. Bailey secured the opening set victory with back-to-back kills set-up by Hunton.
A pair of five-point runs early in the second set helped the Black and Gold clam a 12-7 advantage, however, the momentum vanished a few serves later following a kill from Joseph, which jumpstarted a 14-1 run for Eastern Nazarene to close out the session and claim a second-set victory by a score of 25-19. Wentworth did attempt to halt the surge with a kill by Carlson that brought the visitors within four points (23-19), but Eastern Nazarene ended the set with back-to-back kills from Welsh and Dean and won 25-19.
Wentworth regrouped in the third set, securing momentum immediately off four consecutive serves by Carlson. Eastern Nazarene did even the set a few serves later at 4-4 before both squad traded points prior by junior Jordan Young (Derry, N.H.) that sparked an 11-5 run, which provided the Leopards with a third-set victory by a score of 25-20.
The third set momentum continued in the fourth set with Wentworth jumping out to an 18-5 advantage. An attack error against the Leopards provided the Lions with an opportunity to trim the deficit as a service ace by Robinson resulted four consecutive points that brought the hosts within nine-points (18-9). Both teams would swap points over the next few serves before a service error against Eastern Nazarene helped Wentworth clinch the match with a fourth-set victory by a score of 25-19.
Both teams return to action next Tuesday, October 27 with Wentworth hosting Gordon College, while Eastern Nazarene visits Roger Williams University with both matches scheduled to commence at 7:00 p.m.
