CHICOPEE, MASSACHUSETSS – The New England College women's volleyball team picked up their third Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win over Elms College 3-2 and fell to non-conference opponent Western New England University (WNE) 3-0 on Saturday.
Match 1 - NEC 3, EC 2 (25-21, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25, 15-8)
The 'Grims jumped out to a 15-12 lead behind kills from juniors Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) and Maeve Amarosa (Madbury, N.H.). Their momentum continued as freshman LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz) and senior Kaylee Montgomery (Weare, N.H.) added to the offensive pressure each with a kill. Kelly secured the 25-21 first set victory with a decisive kill for the Pilgrims.
The Pilgrims came out dominant in the second set, racing to a 9-2 lead behind a series of kills from senior Lily-Anne Heywood (Derry, N.H.), Placencio, and Montgomery. The Blazers fought to stay in the set, capitalizing on Pilgrim errors to trim the lead. The 'Grims quickly regained control, continuing their offensive pressure to take a 25-13 second set victory.
The Blazers continued to battle, jumping out to an early 11-4 lead behind strong kills from Quiana Gibbs and Angelica Marks. Maintaining their momentum, the Blazers capitalized on a series of Pilgrims errors to extend their lead to 18-9. Kelly responded with back-to-back kills to spark a late push, but the Blazers pulled away to take a 25-17 third set victory.
The battle remained tight in the fourth set, as both teams traded points early on. The Blazers managed to pull ahead 12-7, capitalizing on a string of Pilgrim errors. Senior Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.) and Kelly delivered key kills to cut into the deficit, bringing the Pilgrims within three. The momentum continued to build for the visitors as freshman Teagan Saner (Plains, Mont.) put away a well-placed kill, followed by a clutch service ace from Montgomery to tie the score at 19-19. After a brief timeout, the Blazers regrouped and took advantage of late mistakes by the visitors to close out the set with a 25-22 win.
The Pilgrims came out firing in the final set, racing to a 7-2 lead behind powerful kills from Placencio and Kelly. Senior Jamie Hansen (New Underwood, S.D.) and Heywood kept the pressure on with timely kills of their own to extend the lead to 13-7. A series of Blazer errors sealed the fifth set victory for the 'Grims 15-8.
Heywood led the offense with 11 kills and 15 digs while Kelly followed with 12 kills. Graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Meyers, Fla.) added 27 assists, 20 digs, and one service ace for the 'Grims. Senior Naydeen Martinez-Moreno (Henderson, Nev.) tallied 30 digs and one service ace to lead the defense.
Match 2 - WNE 3, NEC 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-21)
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Golden Bears jumping out to a 12-6 lead behind strong kills from Charlei Henkel and Rachel Critz, along with a pair of service aces from Sage Pycz. The Pilgrims fought to stay in the set, as junior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) and freshman LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) delivered kills to cut the deficit to 17-12. WNE maintained control with well-placed attacks, pushing the lead to 21-16. The 'Grims responded with Placencio and Kelly narrowing the gap to two points, but the Golden Bears held on to take the first set, 25-21.
The second set began with both teams trading points, neither able to gain a clear advantage early on. A kill by Placencio gave the Pilgrims a slight edge at 9-7, but the Golden Bears responded with a series of kills to reclaim the lead. Back-to-back service aces from Pycz extended their advantage to 19-13. The Pilgrims continued to battle, with seniors Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.) and Lily-Anne Heywood (Derry, N.H) contributing timely kills to keep the set within reach. WNE pulled away late to secure a 25-18 win in the second set.
The Pilgrims continued to battle in the third set, taking an early 6-4 lead behind strong kills from seniors Jamie Hansen (New Underwood, S.D.) and Kaylee Montgomery (Weare, N.H.). The Golden Bears quickly responded with a string of service aces to swing the momentum in their favor, but the 'Grims capitalized on errors to regain a 13-12 lead. The set remained tightly contested as both teams exchanged lead down the stretch, but a series of errors by the Pilgrims allowed WNE to pull ahead and close out the set 25-21, completing the 3-0 sweep over NEC.
Kelly paced the offense with five kills and two digs while Heywood chipped in three kills, 10 digs, and two service aces. Graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Meyers, Fla.) recorded 13 assists and five digs for the 'Grims. Senior Kristina Cardello (Peabody, Mass.) tallied 18 digs, three assists, and one service ace to lead the defense.
The 'Grims will travel to Boston, Massachusetts for a GNAC contest with the Simmons University Sharks on October 16th with a 7:00 PM start.
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