WESTON, Mass. – It was another record-breaking day for one of the seniors on the women's volleyball team as senior Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.) became the program's new all-time assists leader. The team would go on to lose the match to Regis, who improved to 9-3 in conference play, while the 'Grims fell to 5-6.
Regis controlled the first set and, despite four kills from junior Samantha Winters (Dover, N.H.), the Pride collected a 25-18 first set win.
The Pilgrims remained close throughout the second, but Regis held the lead throughout. Towards the end of the second set, Gutierrez-Macias tallied her fourth assist of the night to officially surpass Kenzie Barron as the program's career assists record holder. The Pride would end up holding on for a second set victory, 25-22, holding off the Pilgrims from earning the equalizer.
The third set would also go the way of the Pride, 25-16, as they secured the three-set sweep. Avery Mola led the hosts the whole way, ultimately leading all players with 12 kills.
For NEC, Winters and sophomore LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) led the team with six kills each. Senior Lily-Anne Heywood (Derry, N.H.) followed behind with five kills and 13 digs. And while Gutierrez-Macias broke the record, it was graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) who paced the 'Grims with 16 assists as she approaches 1,000 for her career.
Despite the loss, New England College remains the eighth seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings. Their five conference wins matches that of Albertus Magnus who they beat head-to-head, thus owning the tiebreaker. While the Falcons are done in conference play, it is the University of Saint Joseph who sits one game back of the 'Grims and within striking distance.
The Pilgrims round out their regular season with a home tri-match on Saturday, November 8th, as they welcome Lasell University and USJ into town. NEC faces off against the Lasers at 11:00 AM and meets the Blue Jays in a key matchup at 3:00 PM in the Bridges Gym.
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