Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. - The #7 seed University of New England pulled off an opening round upset over the second-seeded Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball with a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 27-25) win over the Hawks Tuesday evening in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Quarterfinals.
 
The victory for UNE not only ends Roger Williams' bid for an eighth straight Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship, it halts a 15-match winning streak for the Hawks over UNE.
 
The Nor'Easters kicked off the postseason with four straight points for a quick advantage. Roger Williams came back to tie the set at five apiece, but UNE came right back with a kill by Grayson Szczepaniak (Lakewood, Ohio). Roger Williams later managed to use a five-point swing to go on top 14-12, but failed to hold on to the lead. The Nor'Easters kept the Hawks at arms' length but never let RWU regain the lead. UNE closed the set out with three straight points to take the opening set 25-21.
 
The second set saw the Hawks slightly pull away from UNE early to get a small cushion. RWU broke a three-all tie with a 9-4 run to go up by five. From there, Roger Williams would hold off the Nor'Easters the rest of the way, not allowing them to go back on top. UNE managed to make it a 20-21 deficit, leading to a Hawk timeout. After the break, RWU ended the set on a 4-2 run to knot the match at one apiece.
 
The third set was very close early on, with neither team managing to pull away from one another. UNE broke a nine-all tie with a kill by Bekah Mather (Sandy, Oregon) and held the advantage for the next few minutes. RWU later came back with a block by Molly Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Lara LoIacono (Lynbrook, N.Y.) to go up 18-17. The turning point came with RWU leading 21-19, as four straight Hawk attack errors put the game back in UNE's favor, allowing them to earn the 25-23 win.
 
The fourth set went back and forth all game, with 13 ties and six lead changes in addition to no team leading by more than three all set. Trailing 20-22, Roger Williams utitlized three consecutive attack errors by UNE to go up by one. However, back-to-back RWU errors after a UNE timeout brought the Nor'Easters to match point. Both teams traded points over the next three serves before UNE put the match away with a block by Szczepaniak and Kristen Falcinelli (Silver Spring, Md.), followed by a match0-ending kill by Katie Flynn (Merrimack, N.H.).
 
Szczepaniak led the match with 12 kills and five block assists, with Maddy Blake (Brookline, N.H.) adding 11 kills and 19 digs. Nikki Mathewson (Merrimack, N.H.) led UNE with 22 digs, while Falcinelli finished with 38 assists.
 
Quilty led the Hawks with 11 kills and six blocks (one solo, five assists). Kristen Boyer (Ephrata, Pa.) went for six kills and 14 digs, while Maria Batas (Merrick, N.Y.) had 27 digs. Julia Fields (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and Emiley Melillo (Seattle, Wash.) had 16 and 17 assists, respectively.
 
The University of New England (14-12) will travel to the winner of the #3 Western New England/#6 Gordon matchup this Thursday. Roger Williams closes out the 2016 campaign at 19-8.