FRANKLIN, Mass. – Head coach Kirsten Morrison tallied her 100th coaching victory at the helm of the NEC women's volleyball program as the Pilgrims took down Dean in straight sets on Saturday afternoon.
The 'Grims met little resistance (25-19, 25-16, 25-8) on their way to picking up their second GNAC victory to improve to 7-5 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. Sophomore Teagan Saner (Plains, Mont.) led all players with 10 kills, while senior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) edged Saner for the team-lead with 11.5 points while posting a .545 hitting percentage.
NEC graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) had a team-high 13 digs and chimed in 10 assists and three service aces. Sophomore Maddy Rollinson (Hamden, Conn.) had 12 assists while senior Lily Cunanan (Woonsocket, R.I.) added nine digs and four service aces.
The first set was the closest of the afternoon, but NEC took control with a 6-0 run midway through the set and never looked back. The team used a never strong run to close out the set, 25-19, off a kill from junior Emma Bernard (Chester, N.H.)
The Pilgrims used an 8-2 run to take control of the second set, taking a two-set lead with a 25-16 score, finished off by back-to-back service aces by Kelly. The Bulldogs trailed for the entirety of the third set as the 'Grims dominated from beginning to end. NEC won 11 of the final 13 points of the match, wrapped up off the service of Seijas-Quea to secure the conference victory.
Next up for the Pilgrims, the team heads to Husson University for a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, September 29th for a 6:00 PM showdown.
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