DANBURY, Conn. 10/12/10 – Coming back
from a 2-0 deficit, the Keene State College volleyball team dropped
Little East Conference foe Western Conn. State 3-2 with record
setting performances from senior libero Jamie Levine
(Medfield, Mass.) and middle blocker
Ali Facchini (Niantic, Conn.) with 39 digs
and nine block assists respectively.
"It was a long, tough win for us," said KSC junior
outside-hitter Bridget O'Bryant (Merrimack,
N.H.), who finished the game with 21 kills. "It was
really a team effort tonight and our chemistry is just shining
through at the right time."
After dropping the first two sets (22-25, 25-27) the Owls
started playing better on offense and defense. "It took us a
few games to get our feet under us," said KSC head coach Bob
Weiner. "One the third game started, we played terrific
transition offense to defense and that is as good as I have seen
this group play ever."
The Owls fought back, taking the final three sets 25-19, 25-14,
15-8 to stay a perfect 4-0 in LEC play and 15-9 overall. With the
loss Western Conn. State drops to 20-6 overall and 2-2 in
conference action.
WestConn started game five well, taking four of the first five
points. Keene State rallied to take a 5-4 lead, but a kill by
WestConn's Thornton evened the score at 5-5. From that
point forward, WestConn had no answer for the Keene State attack
and the Owls score eight unanswered points for a decisive 13-5
lead. Even after WestConn stopped the Keene State run, a
service error by the Colonials gave the owls match-point and the
visitors closed out the match with a 15-8 game-five victory and a
3-2 win for the match.
O'Bryant led the balanced scoring with 21 kills on the
match. Junior Kristen Girard (Tivoli, N.Y.) threw
down 14 kills of her own, while junior Ellyse Davis
(Londonderry, N.H.) and Facchini each had double-digit
kills with 13 and 11 to pace the Owls attack. Junior setter
Laurie Whalen (Niantic, Conn.) had 57 assists in
the win.
"As balanced as our offense was, Braelen O'Toole,
Ellyse Davis and Ali Facchini did a great job of blocking
tonight," said Weiner. "Braelen especially did a great
job of anchoring our right side and West Conn. just couldn't
get a ball by us."
Levine's 39 dig performance led the Owls defensively and
broke KSC's school record held by Sarah
Peterson from 2008 in a match against Bowdoin.
"Jamie Levine broke the Joe DiMaggio record," said
Weiner. "That is to say I thought it would never be
broken."
Facchini's nine block assists, adds to her own school
record that she set against Saint Michael's College back on
September 25th.
The Owls return home Thursday, as they will square off against
Babson at 7 p.m. at Spaulding Gymnasium.
