HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College women's volleyball team saw another one of their seniors hit a big statistical milestone on Saturday as they hosted their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match of the season, dropping the first match to Saint Joseph's College of Maine before rebounding with a win over Albertus Magnus 

Match 1 – vs Saint Joseph's, 0-3 (17-25, 21-25, 20-25) 

The Monks led for the entirety of the first set to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. In set two, NEC raced out to a 5-2 lead and later used a 7-1 run to seize control, 13-8. But Saint Joseph's wouldn't go away and finished the set on a 14-5 heater to go up, 2-0. The Monks would fend off an NEC comeback in the third set to complete the sweep to start the day's action. 

For the 'Grims, junior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) found success at the net with a team-high eight kills and two blocks in their first match of the day. Senior Kristina Cardello (Peabody, Mass.), fresh off setting the NEC career digs record, added 10 more against the Monks. Senior Lily-Anne Heywood (Derry, N.H.) added three kills in her first game-action of the season after returning from injury. 

Match 2 – vs Albertus Magnus, 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-14) 

After dropping the first two points of the first set, NEC took firm control with a 13-4 run. Up 20-14, senior Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.) would record the 1,000th assist of her career on a kill by sophomore LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) The Falcons would later use a 5-1 run to pull within four points, 24-20, but a kill by senior Kaylee Montgomery (Weare, N.H.) would give the Pilgrims the first set. 

NEC picked up right where they left off in the second set, dominating to the tune of a 12-4 lead and keeping it going to an 18-6 advantage. The Pilgrims never took their foot off the gas, winning the second set, 25-11. That dominance extended into the third set where the 'Grims secured the three-set sweep with a 25-14 set win.  

Kelly once again led the team with seven kills, totaling 15 kills and three blocks between both matches. Both Placencio and junior Maeve Amarosa (Madbury, N.H.) tallied six kills against the Monks with Amarosa posting an efficient .857 hitting percentage. With 26 assists between both matches, Gutierrez-Macias has recently moved into second place in program history in assists after surpassing 1,000 for her career. NEC had 13 service aces to the Falcons' three.  

NEC is back on the road on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup against UMass-Boston at 6:00 PM before returning home on Friday for their Fall Festival game versus Emmanuel College. 

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