Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball prevails at Western New England University 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 to remain undefeated with an overall record of 17-0 and 2-0 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Hawks are currently ranked #23 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coaches poll and #1 in New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Coaches poll. The regionally #10th ranked Golden Bears fall to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in CCC.
The Hawks struggled to find their rhythm in the match committing 14 errors and hitting .133 in route to dropping the first set. The Golden Bears kept the pressure on in the second set jumping out jumped out to a 19-11 lead before the RWU regrouped. The Hawks offense got back on track and turned the tables on WNE taking 14 of the next 17 points.
RWU capitalized on the swing of momentum from the second set and picked up their defensive effort to hold the Golden Bears to .000 and .057 hitting percentage in the last two sets. Elizabeth Flaherty (.258, 10 digs) and Brittany McMullen (.348, 4 blocks) led RWU with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Nicole Weber had 31 assists.
Coach Ben Somera commented, "Our depth and conditioning were key for us tonight. Sarah McAniff and Nicole Weber came in the second game and gave us a much need spark that changed the outlook of the match. Sarah helped us take control of the serve and pass game and Nicole was able to isolate our attackers. Our team has worked diligently on our fitness and going the distance in a match doesn't really phase us."
Junior defensive specialist Grace Kucharski led a scrappy WNE defense with a match-best 20 digs. Kelsey Armstrong led the offense with 11 kills while hitting at a .370 clip, and Maureen Pollet added nine put-downs.
The Hawks will be back in New London, Conn. to take on the Bears of Coast Guard on Saturday, September 29th at 11:00 a.m.
