HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College women's volleyball team was dealt a non-conference loss to Keene State on Tuesday night, falling to the Owls in three sets at Bridges Gym in Henniker, New Hampshire. 

The visiting Owls jumped out to an early lead in the first set, though the Pilgrims rallied back to tie the set at 11-11 with five straight points. The set went back-and-forth until Keene State pulled away with a 6-0 run to eventually take the first, 25-17. 

NEC took the lead midway through the second set, 13-12. But just as with the first set, the Owls responded by winning eight of the next nine points to seize control of the set. With a 25-18 win, the Owls took a 2-0 lead on the night. 

The third set was back-and-forth the entire way, with neither team putting together a large run. The Owls led 22-21 and won three of the final four points to come away with the 25-22 third set win to complete the 3-0 sweep. 

For the 'Grims, junior Samantha Winters (Dover, N.H.) led the team with seven kills and a team-best .278 hitting percentage. Sophomore LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) followed behind with six kills while junior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) added five kills and three total blocks. 

Graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) had nine assists while senior Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.) had eight assists on the night as she pulls closer to the program's career assist record. Senior Kristina Cardello (Peabody, Mass.) kept doing her thing as she totaled 19 digs in just three sets. At press time, she leads the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) with 364 digs this season. 

The team resumes GNAC action on Saturday as they head to Nashua, New Hampshire for a matchup with the Raiders of Rivier University at 11:00 AM. 

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.