Box Score HENNIKER, N.H. – Amber Thi and Tatiana Sampson combined for 26 kills against only three errors as New England College hit a season-best .309 – over 150 points higher than their team average – while handing the Keene State College women's volleyball team a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20) loss Thursday night at Bridges Gymnasium.
Records
- Keene State: 6-3
- New England College: 7-2
How It Happened
The Owls had won the only three matches in the all-time series by going nine-for-nine in winning sets, but they let the first get away this evening despite having a 24-20 lead, and that proved to be a tone-setter for the evening, as they could not keep New England College at bay. KSC was unable to hold a five-point edge in the second set, and then allowed nine of the final 13 points in the third as they hit a match-low .156 in the frame and only .172 for the match. Since a .425 mark against Endicott College in a 3-0 blowout last Saturday, they have swung below .200 in each of the last two, losing four of seven sets overall.
Keene State started the evening on the right foot, putting up five of the first seven points. NEC did rally for a 10-9 lead, but the Owls eventually pulled away from a 17-17 tie by scoring four straight thanks to a pair of kills by
Sydney Johnson and one by
Kacie Blanchet. A block by Elizabeth and
Sydney Johnson followed by a spike from
Cassidy Samuelson put KSC up 24-20 and seemingly in great shape, but they never scored again as New England College ran off six consecutive points on three kills, an ace, a block, and a Keene State attack error.
An early 7-1 burst in the second helped KSC take early charge and perhaps blunt the momentum of NEC's improbable comeback by building an 11-6 advantage, but again it did not last, as the Owls surrendered another six in a row to fall behind by one after being ahead 13-8 and never led again. An ace and two Keene errors pushed the Pilgrims in front 20-16 a short time later. The Owls did draw within one, the last of which coming at 22-21, but a pair of miscues and a Thi kill accounted for three in a row for NEC to end the set.
In a deep hole in the match, Keene State rebounded to flip an early 5-2 deficit into a 12-9 lead following five straight points in a must-win third set, but did not have answers late, as they were outscored 9-4 after
Ali McLoughlin's kill tied it at 16. New England College hit .438 with 15 kills and only one error in the third, easily outdistancing KSC's .156 percentage. The Owls did not hit higher than .194 in any set.
Sydney Johnson led Keene State with nine kills while
Ali McLoughlin added seven.
Service Aces
- Keene State is 1-2 in true road games.
- New England College had a 9-4 edge in aces and 7-2 in blocks. KSC allowed just 17 aces against them in the first five matches, but have now allowed 30 in the last four (2-2).
Up Next
- KSC heads south to take on the University of New England (2-4) and Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) (2-2) in Providence, R.I. this Saturday, September 18, at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
- New England College heads to Plymouth State University on Saturday for matchups with the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and the host Panthers at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., respectively. It will be the third and fourth consecutive matches for NEC against a Little East Conference opposition.
