BOSTON, MASS. 9/27/08 - The Keene State women's volleyball team won a pair of highly-contested Little East Conference matches at UMass-Boston on Saturday at Clark Athletic Center.   Winners of five straight, Keene State (14-4, 4-0 LEC) swept Eastern Conn 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, and 25-21). and defeated host UMass-Boston 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-17).  

Senior middle hitter Brittany O'Bryant (Merrimack, N.H.) posted double-doubles in both matches I was a record-setting day for the Owls.  Junior setter Jordan Pokryfki (Wasilla, AK) set a KSC match record with 54 assists against the Beacons and senior libero Sarah Peterson (Danville, N.H.) put her name in the record book with 45 digs against the Beacons.

O'Bryant came up big in the Owls' win over Eastern Connecticut with a match-high 16 kills and added 10 digs and four total blocks.  Freshman middle hitter Ellyse Davis (Londonderry, NH) scored with eight kills and got up for a pair of blocks, while Pokryfki set for 35 assists, fired an ace, came up with seven digs and put down a kill.  Senior libero Sarah Peterson (Danville, Conn.) anchored the defense with 37 digs and also scored with three aces.

The O'Bryant sisters were an offensive force for Keene State against UMB, as senior middle hitter Brittany O'Bryant put down a team-high 16 kills and added an ace, 11 digs, and seven total blocks, while freshman outside hitter Bridget O'Bryant spiked for 15 kills in addition to four digs.  Pokryfki set for 54 assists, got down for 14 digs, put up a block and put away a pair of kills and  Peterson led the defense with a match record 45  digs and added an ace and a kill.

Pokryfki kept opponents off-balance by using all of Keene State's weapons at her disposal.  "I try to mix it up as much as I can to throw of the other blockers," she said.  "We were really pumped winning the two matches."

The key to winning the second match was stopping UMB hitter Kate McWhorter, who finished the match with 10 kills.  "We knew where she like to hit and knew she'd get frustrated, so we put a lot of people in the way of her hitting the ground and did pretty well with it," Weiner said.

"Our key was to stay wide and read their hitters, be quick and get after the ball," said Peterson, who tied a KSC match record with 45 digs against the Beacons.   "We were a little nervous going into both of these match, but confident.  Now we just need to finish the LEC schedule undefeated and bring the tournament back to Keene."

"These are good wins for us," added KSC Coach Bob Weiner.  "We played up and our kids did what they were suppose to do.  We want a second chance to host again.  We still have to finish, but it puts us in a good position."

UMB defeated ECSU in the first match of the day 3-0.

Keene State returns to action at the Bowdoin College tournament on Friday.