SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – First year setter/outside hitter
Sarah Bartels finished with 12 kills, 16 assists, five aces, six digs, and two block assists in just her third collegiate match as the Keene State College women's volleyball team hit .216 over the final three sets after opening with a -.207 percentage in the opening set to come from two sets down to knock off Skidmore College 3-2 (10-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-11) on Saturday afternoon at Dana Gymnasium on the campus of Springfield College. The Owls also beat Westfield State University 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22) in their morning match, finishing the weekend 2-1.
Records
- Keene State: 2-1
- Westfield State: 0-2
- Skidmore: 2-1
How It Happened
Bouncing back from a Friday night loss in which they surrendered 16 service aces, KSC had four different people record at least seven kills in the day's first match and five do so in the second as they improved to 7-2 at the Springfield Invitational/Dearing Classic since 2019. The weekend in the "City of Firsts" was a rollercoaster of sorts, but nonetheless did see a number of Owls live up to that moniker.
Lauren Bender piled up nine kills against only two errors while hitting .259 and added 12 digs in the 3-1 victory over Westfield, while classmate
Alexis Small had 13 assists and six digs. Then, a few hours later against Skidmore, Bartels hit .276 in a double-double effort while
Stephanie Olah had a career-best nine kills and
Gigi Stake 16 digs (to go along with nine kills).
Veronica Kroha and
Molly Wetherbee (.300 pct.) each had seven spikes for KSC, who had 52 in the match overall after having only four in the first set. After an ugly 25-10 loss in that frame – one that they fell behind 9-1 and 14-2 in – the Owls got their offense in gear but could not hold on to a 23-22 edge to even the match and instead faced a 2-0 match hole. Known for their fight, particularly after last year's Little East tournament championship match in which they erased a 23-12 second set deficit, today became another example. Two kills from Bender around an ace for
Grace Christian helped Keene open a 13-5 third set advantage, but the Thoroughbreds scored 18 of the next 26 points to surge in front 23-21. Facing perhaps another tough pill to swallow,
Molly Wetherbee's kill from Bartels and then three consecutive aces from Small rescued the Owls to keep them alive – and they kept gaining momentum from there. Keene State never trailed in the fourth, going up 8-1 thanks to five kills and an ace in the early-going. Olah made it 13-4 shortly thereafter, and KSC went up double-digits (21-11) on a point by Kroha. Skidmore threatened again with a last-ditch push, scoring eight of nine to get within three, but with slightly less drama this time around, the Owls forced a deciding fifth set on late kills from Bender and Wetherbee.
Another fast start in a set proved to help KSC finish off the comeback, as Wetherbee and Stake posted consecutive kills for a 7-2 lead, which later became 11-4 after a point by Olah and Skidmore error. The Thoroughbreds yet once more mounted a late rally, shrinking a 13-6 deficit to two (13-11), but Wetherbee's kill and – fittingly – an ace from Bartels gave the match to the Owls, who outhit Skidmore .263 to .000 in the deciding set. In fact, KSC's defense clamped down as the match went on, with the Thoroughbreds going from a .312 attack percentage marks of .068 and .000 in the final two frames, making 12 errors.
"(Today) was fun. Lots of contributions from different people," said Keene State head coach
Bob Weiner. "We were garbage in the first set against Skidmore, but found our footing in the second set and momentum turned our way in the final three sets. Great all-around play from Sarah (Bartels), leading us in kills and running the offense well along with Lexi Small.
Stephanie Olah was huge in this one. Gigi,
Reagan Fleming, and
Theresa Norris led the defense."
No comeback was needed in the season's first win against defending Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference champion Westfield, who they dispatched for the 18th consecutive time. Keene State began the day with a 15-6 kills edge in a first set that they won 25-22 – staving off another late push by the opponent after WSU whittled a 21-11 hole down to one. The Owls never trailed while taking firm control of the match in the second, opening a 7-2 edge that remained around the same margin for the vast majority of the time. An 11-2 burst for Westfield midway through the third helped them stay alive and they used push for an 8-4 lead in the fourth set, but KSC rattled off seven in a row and never trailed again. It was tied twice more, including at 19-19, but Bartels and Kroha provided consecutive points. Westfield put down consecutive spikes to get a 23-20 deficit back to one once more, but Olah's kill and then a block by her and Wetherbee prevented the need for a fifth set and got Keene State in the win column in 2023.
"There is still lots of work to do, but the play of the first years and how they are blending into our system gives me hope that this could be a good year," said Weiner, now in his 19th season. He recorded his 600th career win and second LEC championship in 2022. KSC made the NCAA tournament before falling to eventual national champion Juniata College.
Service Aces
- KSC's balance can be easily seen on the season stat sheet, which features six people with at least 15 kills including four with 21. Wetherbee is hitting a team-best .326 in the early-going.
- The Owls have out-dug their three opponents 204-176 in three matches thus far. Fleming has 50 and Stake 37.
- Keene State leads the all-time series vs. Westfield State 29-8 and has won three straight against Skidmore after losing the first three meetings.
Up Next
- The Owls head to Massachusetts again on Tuesday (September 5) – this time Worcester – to play Clark University (2-1) at 7:00 p.m. The Cougars went 2-1 at the Roger Williams University Invitational, beating Regis College (Mass.) 3-1 and Colby-Sawyer College 3-0 before losing to the host Hawks 3-1.
- Westfield, who lost to then-No. 8 New York University in their NCAA match last year, hosts the United States Coast Guard Academy (3-1) on Tuesday (6:00 p.m.).
- Skidmore takes on Williams College (0-0) in their home opener on the same night (6:00 p.m.).
