KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College women's volleyball team got off to a strong start and that ultimately set the tone for the evening as they recorded their highest team hitting percentage since the season opener three weeks ago, sweeping preseason Little East Conference favorite Plymouth State University 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-21) Wednesday night at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  3-10, 1-1 LEC
• Plymouth State:  9-3, 2-1 LEC

Postgame Interview (Coach Weiner)
Postgame Interview (Molly Wetherbee)

How It Happened
The Owls firmly controlled the opening two sets, trailing just one time – after allowing the first point of the match – while recording 30 kills to just eight errors as they went on to snap the Panthers' 10-game Little East regular season winning streak that dated back to what essentially was the 2020 season played in the spring of 2021.  PSU went an undefeated 8-0 while winning the regular season last year and was picked to repeat in the league's preseason coaches' poll this year, winning six of seven sets in going to 2-0 in the LEC this year to run the streak to 10.  However, on this night, the visitors were held to their lowest attacking percentage (.071) of the season as KSC picked up a much-needed victory, beating Plymouth State at Spaulding Gymnasium for the fifth consecutive time (four in straight sets).

Keene State featured a balanced attack, as Sydney Johnson led the team with nine kills (.121 pct.), five digs, an ace, and two blocks.  Stephanie Olah (.238), Molly Wetherbee (.500), and Veronica Kroha (.273) all attacked at well over .200, helping add efficiency to an Owl attack that was over .200 as a team for the third time in a match this season.  Cassidy Samuelson also chipped in seven kills.  Wetherbee needed just 12 swings to get seven spikes and added three block assists.   Olah had eight kills against just three errors and added three digs.  Reagan Fleming finished with 18 digs and Kristlynn Hunt 11, while Kacie Blanchet had 33 assists and three digs.

KSC has had a propensity to occasionally start slow, giving opposing teams momentum early, but combined with improved receiving and more efficiency, flipped the script, scoring five straight for a 5-1 lead in the opening set as Johnson had two kills.  The Panthers trimmed an 8-4 deficit to one at 8-7, but the Owls ran away with an 11-2 burst as Olah and Wetherbee teamed up for five consecutive kills to open a double-digit (19-9) lead.  Down 22-11, Plymouth scored 10 of 11 to threaten a massive comeback, but Blanchet set up Samuelson out of a timeout to allow the Owls to catch themselves, and an attack error by Lilli Stogner on the next point wrapped up a 25-21 set.

The second frame was much like the first, as Johnson powered down two spikes and Kroha one in the opening five points as Keene State burst out to a 5-0 lead.  As happened before, the Panthers whittled a 7-2 gap down to one (9-7), only to see the Owls use Wetherbee and Olah again as part of a 5-0 burst for a 13-7 edge, forcing a PSU timeout.  Kills later by Samuelson and Olah still had the Owls up six (19-13), but it was not over yet, as despite a remarkable kill from Fleming that made it 22-18, the Panthers got within 24-23 on points from Nora Ryan and Stogner.  After a timeout, Keene State went up 2-0 in the match as they ate up Ryan's serve, ending the set with a forceful swing from Samuelson on the first try.

A service error and two Plymouth aces early in the third helped the visitors play from ahead for the first time – up 5-1 – but KSC erased their lead within the next 10 points, tying it at eight on a Panther attack error.  After falling back behind by two, a kill by Blanchet evened it at 11 and the Owls then went up two on consecutive PSU miscues, ultimately taking the lead for good.  A kill by Samuelson made it 17-14, and a short time later, a key and timely 4-0 burst that started with a well-placed ball from Kroha and also featured a team block by Samuelson and Wetherbee helped put the Owls up 22-17, their largest lead of the set.  Olah's swing and an error by Emilee Flanagan brought up match point for KSC at 24-18.  Stogner and a pair of misfires sliced PSU's deficit in half as they tried to avoid their first sweep of the season, but – fittingly – a powerful middle swing by Wetherbee ended it.  Despite hitting only .034 after .300 and .295 percentages in the opening two sets, the Owls limited PSU to a -.061 mark in the third set.

Stogner, last year's LEC Rookie of the Year, led Plymouth State with 11 kills on .182 hitting.

Service Aces

• Johnson has 53 kills against only 14 errors while adding 30 digs over the last four matches.  Her 2.95 per set are tied for third individually in the LEC.
• Wetherbee is third in the conference in blocks per set.  Her (.199) and Kroha (.195) are currently the Owls' most efficient attackers on the season.
• KSC has won six of their last eight against Plymouth.

Up Next

• The Owls head back out on the road for a conference matchup against Eastern Connecticut State University (9-3, 2-1 LEC) in Willimantic on Saturday, October 1 at 1:00 p.m.  The teams have exchanged five-set wins over the past two years.  ECSU lost in four sets at Western Connecticut State University tonight, dropping the final by a 32-30 score.
• Plymouth State visits Rhode Island College (4-7, 1-2 LEC) on the same day for a 12:00 p.m. start.  The Anchorwomen have been swept in three consecutive matches.