HENNIKER, N.H. – The Pilgrims picked up their fifth sweep of the season on Wednesday night, taking down the University of Southern Maine in straight sets (25-17, 25-23, 25-21).
NEC junior Emma Bernard (Chester, N.H.) led all players with 10 kills on the night, while junior LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) added eight kills and sophomore Teagan Saner (Plains, Mont.) had seven with a strong .400 hitting percentage.
The Pilgrims wasted no time before taking complete control of the first set, winning six of the first seven points of the match. Leading by as many as 13 points, the 'Grims took the first set, convincingly, taming the Huskies, 25-17.
Set number two proved more difficult for the Pilgrims with Southern Maine taking their first set lead of the night at 18-17. NEC grabbed the lead back on a four-point run off the service of graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) and ultimately won the set on a Bernard kill, 25-23.
After NEC jumped out ahead in the third set, the Huskies responded with a 7-0 run to go ahead, 11-9. But the 'Grims finished strong, ending the match on a 9-2 run to take the third set, 25-21, and claiming the three-set victory. The 'Grims out-did the Huskies at the net, racking up 47 kills to the opposition's 37. NEC had a .127 hitting percentage as compared to USM's .049.
Seijas-Quea kept doing what she has done best in her Pilgrim career, leading the team with 16 set assists and three service aces. She also added a team-high 13 digs, followed behind by senior Lily Cunanan (Woonsocket, R.I.) who had 10.
The Pilgrims will now head to Franklin, Massachusetts, on Saturday for a 3:30 PM conference matchup against Dean College.
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