HENNIKER, N.H. – On the first day of Fall competition, the Pilgrims battled to a four-set loss to intrastate rival Plymouth State University on Tuesday. NEC sophomore Teagan Saner (Plains, Mont.) had a team-high 10 kills in a strong season debut.
Saner did her best to match the Panthers' high-flying duo of Sydney Riley and Sya McKay who each had 10 kills a-piece for Plymouth State and combined for four total blocks on the night.
After a quiet first set, in which the Panthers pulled away to the tune of a 25-11 final, senior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) had nine kills and 1.5 blocks the rest of the way. She and the Pilgrims broke through in the second set, equalizing things at one set a-piece with a 25-19 win. Junior Emma Bernard (Chester, N.H.) made an impact in her Pilgrims debut, hitting some key winners in the second set as part of a six kill, two-total blocks night.
In set number three, Plymouth had NEC on the ropes at 22-17, but the Pilgrims rallied back to 24-24 with the help of kills from both Kelly and junior LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.), each assisted by graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.). The Panthers would use a Maddie Andrade kill and an NEC attack error to hold on for the 26-24 set win.
Plymouth State stayed hot in the fourth set, jumping out to a 22-12 lead. The Pilgrims showed plenty of fight with a 6-2 run, including fending off three straight match points, before the Panthers ultimately took the fourth and final set, 25-18.
The Pilgrims had 11 service aces on the night to the Panthers' nine. Seijas-Quea led the way with four winners and now has 128 career service aces as she sits just six away from tying the program record. She also led the team with nine digs and 16 assists while sophomore Maddy Rollinson (Hamden, Conn.) tacked on 13 helpers.
Next up for the Pilgrims, the team will travel to Elmira, New York for a quad invitational which will pit the team against Elmira University, Gallaudet University, and Geneva College in matches spanning Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th.
For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
