KEENE, N.H. – Molly Wetherbee and Veronica Kroha combined for 19 kills on 39 swings and made only five errors as the Keene State College women's volleyball team overcame a slow start to pick up a needed 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16) Little East Conference victory over the University of Southern Maine to open a Senior Day tri-match on Saturday at Spaulding Gymnasium.  The Owls were swept by Wellesley College later in the day, losing sets 25-18, 25-7, and 25-15.

Records

• Keene State:  9-14, 3-4 LEC
• Southern Maine:  4-19, 0-6 LEC
• Wellesley:  10-10

Postgame Interview (Coach Weiner) – Southern Maine
Postgame Interview (Molly Wetherbee) – Southern Maine
Postgame Interview (Coach Weiner) – Wellesley

How It Happened
Entering with four consecutive losses including an ugly defeat at Plymouth State University on Wednesday night, the Owls were on their heels in the opening set against the Huskies – who came in with nine straight losses – as they fell into deficits of 10-6, 12-8, and 15-12 right away in a match they desperately needed to win.  However, a 6-0 burst that featured two blocks and two kills from Wetherbee and an ace from Alexis Small turned the tables and allowed KSC to jump in front, and they ultimately closed out a 25-19 set victory and did enough throughout to keep struggling USM from recording their first win in nearly a month.
Leading 1-0 in the match after scoring the final four points of the opening set, KSC used four in a row to double up the visitors 10-5 early in the second half as Sarah Bartels had two spikes and Kroha one in a four-point span.  The Owls seemed well in command, getting kills from Gigi Stake and Wetherbee with a block by those two sandwiched between to make it 16-8, but back came Southern Maine with a 9-1 run for a 17-17 tie.  Bartels put KSC up two again (19-17) two rallies later, but the Huskies actually took a lead at 22-21 on an ace by Cassidy Weiher.  In danger of a dispiriting set defeat that would have evened the match, Bartels tied it and the Owls picked up the next four points including a kill by Stake that brought up set point and an ace from Reagan Fleming clinched it.

Keene State never trailed in the third set to polish off the sweep, scoring five of the first six and 11 of the opening 16 points while outhitting Southern Maine .227 to -.205.  The frame began with an ace from Kroha, and another Wetherbee kill made it 7-2.  Three straight Husky errors kept KSC up six before a string of four straight later gave the Owls their first double-digit lead (17-7) off a swing from Bartels.  Wetherbee and Bartels teamed up for a block of Brianna Delloiacono for a 20-8 edge, and KSC had no trouble from there though USM did cosmetically make the score better at 23-16 before two errors by the visitors ended the match.
The Owls struggled against Wellesley while being swept, attacking below zero in each of the first two sets and falling into big deficits right away in both.  In the first, KSC clawed back, tying it at 10 and again at 15, but never led in either, as two Owl attacking errors after it was 15-15 put the Blue back ahead by two.  Wetherbee made it one again with a kill, but four straight for Wellesley made it 22-17 and they had no trouble from there.
KSC scored the opening point of the second, but then allowed 10 in a row and only scored seven total in the frame to fall into a 2-0 match hole.  The Owls led 4-2 very early in the third, but nine in a row next put the Blue up seven and they were on their way from there.  KSC hung around some, getting within 19-15 on a Bartels point, but ended the day by giving up six more points in a row.

Against USM, Wetherbee finished with 10 kills and attacked at a .304 clip while being at least part of eight blocks.  Kroha had nine kills (.438 pct.) and 11 digs.  Delloiacono and Drew Johnson had seven kills each for USM.

KSC hit .000 against Wellesley, getting a team-best six from Bartels and Wetherbee.  Reagan Fleming had 22 digs and needs three to reach the 1,000 career digs milestone.  The Owls out-dug the Blue 67-59, but could not find enough offense.  Kate Giang led the Blue with 12 kills and hit .222, while Evelyn Hill had 18 digs and eight kills.

Service Aces

• The Owls outhit USM .227 to .-084 and improved to 21-6 all-time against the Huskies, 9-1 in Keene.
• KSC's loss to Wellesley was the fourth straight and eighth in nine tries in series.  They are 0-7 when hitting under .100 this season.
• Wetherbee leads the team with a .273 attacking percentage.  She has 83 kills in her last nine matches (9.2 per match).
• The Owls are currently in fifth place in the conference at 3-4.  The top six make the playoffs, with the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds travelling for quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday, October 31.
• Wellesley swept Southern Maine 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-12) in the day's middle match.  The Blue outhit USM .300 to .-065.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts Curry College (4-18) in their penultimate regular season home game on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m.
• Southern Maine hosts St. Joseph's College (Maine) (10-13) on Thursday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m.
• Wellesley, who entered the day with an eight-game losing streak, visits Emerson College (12-8, 3-5 NEWMAC) for a league match on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).