ELMIRA, N.Y. – The New England College women's volleyball team picked up their first win of the 2026 season, sweeping Elmira in three sets before falling in a five-set marathon to Geneva College as they wrapped up the Elmira Invitational on Saturday.
The Pilgrims took the first match of the day, defeating Elmira in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-10). NEC was more and more dominant as the match went along, more than doubling up the Soaring Eagles in kills, 36 to 16, while posting a .286 hitting percentage to the hosts' -.012.
NEC junior LisaRaye Placencio (Maricopa, Ariz.) was a force at the net with eight kills and five blocks. Sophomore Teagan Saner (Plains, Mont.) had six of the team's 13 service aces and added seven kills and nine digs. Fellow sophomore Maddy Rollinson (Hamden, Conn.) accrued a new career-high 22 assists.
In the event's final match, the 'Grims suffered a tough defeat in five sets to Geneva College (16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 11-15). An even matchup throughout, the Golden Tornadoes won six of the final seven points to claim the decisive fifth set.
For the Pilgrims, senior Samantha Winters (Dover, N.H.) had a team-high 10 kills, followed close behind by senior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) and senior Maeve Amarosa (Madbury, N.H.) who had nine and eight kills, respectively.
Rollinson added 20 more assists against Geneva, while graduate Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) had 16 assists and three service aces. Senior Lily Cunanan (Woonsocket, R.I.) led the team with 19 digs.
NEC will return to game action on Tuesday, September 8th, as they travel to Vermont State University-Johnson for a 6:00 PM non-conference matchup against the Badgers.
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