NEW LONDON, N.H – Bridgewater State was defeated twice by Colby-Sawyer and the University of New England in non-conference women's volleyball action.
In their loss to the Nor'Easters, senior Kristen Robillard (Swansea, Mass.) became the sixth Bear to reach the 1,000 dig mark with 22 in the setback.
Colby-Sawyer defeated Bridgewater State, 3-0, in three consecutive sets with the scores, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-13.
The Chargers jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first set, but the Bears responded with three straight points on Colby-Sawyer errors to cut the deficit to 9-6. After a kill by Bridgewater State senior Danielle Dean (Gilford, N.H.) made the score 18-14 in favor of Colby-Sawyer, the Chargers finished the set on a 7-3 run capped by a junior Stephanie Vecchio (Shelter Island, N.Y.) kill.
The beginning of the second set was played closely and featured three ties. With the score 10-9 Chargers, the home team used a 5-0 spurt, capped by an ace from senior Julia Yee (Quincy, Mass.), to take a 15-9 lead. The teams traded the next few points before Colby-Sawyer senior Ally Le-Bruno (Medfield, Mass.) recorded two aces in the last three points to lift the Chargers to a 25-17 win.
The Chargers began the third set on a 4-0 run and never looked back. Bridgewater would cut the lead to two points on one occasion, but could not get any closer. Colby-Sawyer led by as many as 13 points en route to a 25-13 win.
The Chargers were led by Vecchio's 10 kills. Senior Emilee McBride (Strafford, N.H.) added nine kills while senior Courtney O'Hara (Mystic, Conn.) contributed seven. Sophomore setter Laura Smolinski (Hebron, Conn.) collected a contest-high 31 assists. Le-Bruno had a match-high seven aces and 13 digs.
Freshman setter Charleyne Panner (Gilford, N.H.) recorded a double-double of 15 assists and 11 digs to lead Bridgewater State as freshman Hannah Maymon (Narragansett, R.I.) had a team best six kills.
The University of New England handed Bridgewater State three straight losses in a trio of closely contested matches by scores of 26-24, 25-18 and 25-22.
The first set was back and forth throughout and featured 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Bears were on top 22-19 after a kill by senior Michelle Atkins (Chelsea, Mass.) and had game point sized up at 24-21 after a block on Nor'Easter junior Rachel McGahie's (Westmoreland, N.H.) attack attempt.
But the University of New England battled back with five straight points and won the set 26-24 on an attack error by Maymon.
The Bears took a 4-1 lead in the second set, but the Nor'easters went on a 5-0 run capped by a Maymon kill to take a 6-4 lead. The Bears responded with a 5-0 run of their own and took a 9-6 lead on a UNE attack error.
After alternating a few points, the set would be tied three times – including a 12-12 score. The Nor'easters finished the set on a 13-6 run capped by a junior Leah Janelle (Madbury, N.H.) kill to win 25-18.
The Bears jumped out to a 4-1 lead for the second straight set, but UNE once again battled and took its first lead at 8-7 and never trailed for the rest of the set.
Bridgewater State showed fight towards the end of the set, staving off five match points, before the Nor'easters closed the match with a kill from Grayson Szczepaniak (Lakewood, Ohio).
Senior Angie Brunette (North Andover, Mass.) led the Nor'easters with 14 kills and hit an attacking percentage of .387 (14-2-37).
Janelle added 10 kills and a pair of blocks. Senior Maria Kuehl (Middleton, N.H.) recorded a double-double of 28 assists and 18 digs. Senior Kirsta Adie (Tyngsboro, Mass.) collected 22 digs.
The Bears were paced by Panner who had a double-double with 17 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore Julie Hutchins (Bellingham, Mass.) had four kills and a match-high four blocks.
Notes: Robillard now has 1,015 digs in three seasons at Bridgewater State as she ranks sixth in program history...Including her one season at MCLA, Robillard has amassed 1,229 career digs.
Major Portions Of Release Courtesy Of Colby-Sawyer Sports Information