HENNIKER, N.H.-Freshman Dreka Griffin (Calera, Ala.) tallied 16 kills to lead the New England College volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Dean College on Dig Pink night. Set scores were 25-20, 23-25, 25-15, and 25-23.
The win boosts NEC to 12-13 on the season, while Dean falls to 9-12.
NEC LEADERS
In addition to Griffin, the Pilgrims received an impressive 30 digs from junior Meaghan Six (Manchester, N.H.), a season-high for the team's leading defensive player.
Freshman Kennedy Somavia (Red Bluff, Calif.) dished out a season-high 44 assists and added 13 digs for a double-double.
Kayleigh MacDougall (Farmington, N.H.) and
Kaitlyn Walker (Cottonwood, Calif.) both finished with 12 kills apiece. As a team, the Pilgrims tallied 50 kills.
DEAN LEADERS
Dean's Kaitlyn Anderson led three categories for the visitors, tallying 15 kills, two aces and three blocks.
Melanie Rios-Nevarez dished out 32 assists, while Aminah Tsonga and Sami Mulcahy both had 20 digs each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Three of the four sets were decided by five points or less as both teams were relatively even-matched throughout the match.
The Pilgrims held a 17-8 lead in the first set until Dean rallied to score 10 of the next 11 points to even the score at 18-18, proving they were not going down without a fight. NEC held on to win the first set 25-20.
The tides turned in the second set. Again trailing midway through, Dean took an 18-16 lead on a bad set. The two teams traded points with neither holding more than a three-point lead. NEC managed to score three points with Dean stuck at game-point, but a kill by Anderson gave Dean the set two win at 25-23.
The Pilgrims held the lead from the beginning of the third set and had their best defensive effort, holding Dean to just three kills in the set. The Bulldogs fought back in set four and threatened a fifth set by holding a 23-22 lead in the fourth, but kills by MacDougall and Griffin and an error on the Dean side of the net gave the last three points of the match to NEC.
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
"We put up a hard fight tonight against a scrappy team. It's always great to get a win our home court." Head Coach Laura Falkowitz
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pilgrims head to Maine for a North Atlantic Conference double feature on Saturday, taking on Maine Maritime at noon and Husson University at 4:00 p.m. for the final regular-season matches of the season.
