CHICOPEE, Mass. – Alanys Cruz Diaz finished with 17 kills on 30 attacks, hitting .467, as Elms College handed the Keene State College women's volleyball team a second consecutive straight set loss (25-18, 25-21, 25-20) Thursday evening in non-conference action at Picknelly Arena.

Records

• Keene State:  15-12
• Elms:  18-7

How It Happened
The Owls got off to a slow start, allowing five consecutive points after Ali McLoughlin opened the match with a kill, and did not lead again until an Elms error gave them a 4-3 lead in the third set.  At that point the Blazers, who were in control most of the way, had already gone up two sets to none, coming up with plays down the stretch to pull away in both.  The Blazers piled up a .276 to .214 attacking advantage and a 47-34 edge in kills while dropping KSC to 5-7 in true road matches this season.  McLoughlin led the Owls with 10 kills (.250 pct.) and 10 digs, while Emilyann Ashford had nine spikes and Stephanie Olah seven.  Kacie Blanchet finished with 29 assists and six digs.  Diaz added 14 digs for Elms, who got a match-high 24 digs from Kianna Lozada.  Sabrina Christie chipped in nine kills and Natalia Caraballo eight as the Blazers hit at least .234 in every set, well above their .189 team average they entered the night with.  They rang up 18 kills on 43 swings in the clinching third set that saw them erase a 12-6 deficit by scoring nine consecutive points.  Diaz had three kills and Caraballo two aces in that span.  Olah ended the surge with a kill to make it 15-13, but Elms put up four of the next five to force a Keene State timeout with a five-point cushion (19-14) and the Owls were never closer than four again.  Seven of the Blazers' final eight points on the evening came in the form of kills, including the match-ending one by Diaz.

Keene State did answer Elms after their opening surge in the first set, rebounding from an 8-4 hole to tie it at 14 following kills by Elizabeth and Sydney Johnson that wrapped up a 10-6 burst.  McLoughlin put up three kills in quick succession thereafter, each one bringing the Owls within one, but Elms responded by putting up six in a row to turn an 18-17 lead into set point with a seven-point lead.  Laura Jensen had two aces and Caraballo two kills in that stretch.  KSC overall was out-aced 7-2 and is minus-17 in that category over the past two matches.  The Owls went on to drop the opening frame 25-18, with their only point over the final eight coming on a Blazers' serving error.  Elms' momentum carried over into the second, where they never trailed.  Five spikes early put Keene State into a 5-1 hole right away, though they rebounded with a 5-1 spurt of their own to draw within one and were still within 15-14 following kills by Olah, McLoughlin, and Ashford.  However, Elms continued to find answers, getting three in a row of their own from Christie, Diaz, and Lozada to go in front 21-16.  The Owls made one final run at it looking to even the match, scoring five of six – three on blocks (of their four on the evening) – to get within 22-21, but they could not get over the hump, as a Govanna Rosado kill and two miscues gave the Blazers the win and a 2-0 sets lead they polished off in the third.

Service Aces

• The regionally-ranked Owls have dropped three straight since a three-game winning streak.
• KSC's last three opponents have all swung at a .234 clip or better (.234, .264, .276).  The Owls are 2-11 when allowing the opposition to attack at .200 or higher this season, beating Endicott College and Western New England University.

Up Next

• Keene State closes the regular season at Rhode Island College (10-13, 2-5 LEC) on Saturday (October 30) at 12:00 p.m.  The Owls need to win to ensure a Little East tournament quarterfinal home game next week.
• Elms hosts Regis College (Mass.) (20-7, 9-3 GNAC) and Bay Path College (6-16) in a tri-match on the same day at 12:00 and 4:00 p.m.