JOHNSON, Vt. – Graduate setter Alexandra Seijas-Quea (Fort Myers, Fla.) etched her name into the Pilgrims record books, recording her 135th career service ace in the fifth set of a narrow loss to VTSU-Johnson on Tuesday evening.
The Badgers took the first two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-23 before the Pilgrims rallied back to claim the third set 25-22 and the fourth 27-25. The two teams went back-and-forth in the fifth set before Vermont State University-Lyndon pulled away to claim the match with a 15-10 victory.
NEC showed fight after dropping the first two sets and facing a 22-21 deficit in set number three. The 'Grims won the final four points of the set to force a fourth frame where they won the first five points to jump out to an early lead. After the Badgers eventually tied it up at 24 a-piece, the Pilgrims held on to take the set, 27-25 on a kill by junior Emma Bernard (Chester, N.H.) assisted by sophomore Maddy Rollinson (Hamden, Conn.).
Bernard had a pair of kills early in the fifth set, followed by Seijas-Quea serving up four straight points – including the record-tying, and record-breaking service aces – to jump ahead, 8-4. But the Badgers clawed back, winning 11 of the final 13 points to take the match.
NEC senior Tyra Kelly (Fresno, Calif.) led the team with 11 points on eight kills and three solo blocks, while Bernard had a team-high nine kills on the night. Graduate Naydeen Martinez-Moreno (Henderson, Nev.) had 15 digs; senior Lily Cunanan (Woonsocket, R.I.) had 13 digs, and the duo of Seijas-Quea and Rollinson each added 11 assists on top of double-digit digs.
For Seijas-Quea, the aces record was the first of two program records the team captain has been eying as she now sits just 70 assists away from breaking another.
The 'Grims are back in action at home on Thursday, September 10th, as they face Vermont State University-Lyndon at 6:00 PM in Bridges Gym.
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