KEENE, N.H. –  The Keene State College women's volleyball team provided many treats for their fans on Friday night, posting their ninth win in the last 13 matches and moving above .500 for the first time since they were 2-1 following a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-13) sweep of Mount Holyoke College on Halloween at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Postgame Interview (Coach Girard)
Postgame Interview (Gigi Stake)

The Owls' (13-12) defense also dealt plenty of tricks to the Lyons (13-12) all night, holding the visitors to just .033 attacking and outhitting them by well over 100 points.  Mount Holyoke had 22 kills and 24 errors combined over the final two sets after a 13 kill, seven error mark in the first.  KSC, meanwhile, made only nine miscues on the night and continues their late season offensive uprising.  Gigi Stake finished with eight kills, nine digs, and hit .156 while Colleen Fraser (.273 pct.) and Annaliese Rudberg (.357 pct.) combined for 13 kills to just two errors.  Lauren Bender had four kills and only one error on 18 attempts.

Every set featured a different tenor – but all ended the same, in KSC victories as they swept their fifth opponent during their current 9-4 run dating back to September 23.

In the first, a 5-0 run that featured three consecutive aces from Alexis Small broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Owls their largest lead.  KSC led 13-8 on a Stake kill and 16-11 on a Lyons error, but MHC hung around, climbing within two twice.  However, Small served up another ace to make it 20-16 and KSC was never seriously threatened again, as Stake fired down a kill for a 25-22 set win.

The Lyons continued to be flummoxed by Small's serving, as she dialed up another ace as part of a 6-0 opening run in the second, a set the Owls dominated.  Leading 10-5, Katie Taylor blocked Madeline Barton to kick off a 7-1 KSC run for an 11-point lead and Mount Holyoke had no answers – getting steamrolled (outhit .167 to -.064) in the second set to fall behind 2-0 in the match.

It seemed the visitors might return the favor in the third to extend the match and put some pressure on the Owls, opening an 8-1 lead on four kills – all by Olivia Murray – and two aces while KSC's lone point was on a service error.  But the Owls kept clawing back.  Fraser made it 9-6 with a kill, and after MHC went up 12-6 with back-to-back aces, swung for another point to prevent the visitors from embarking on a big run.  Taylor and Sarah Bartels then teamed up for a block, and KSC quickly chipped away, forcing a Lyons timeout at 14-12 after Stake and Rudberg kills.  The Owls tied it for the first time at 15 and then four subsequent times after that before finally wrestling their initial lead of the frame at 22-21 on Murray's attacking error.  The Lyons' only two remaining points of the match came on service errors.  Bartels' block on Murray brought up match point at 24-22, and Rudberg wasted no time, powerfully spiking Ava Harkins' pass to give KSC momentum heading into the regular season's final week.

The Owls have a conference bye – and no game – this weekend, but will be scoreboard watching tomorrow's Rhode Island College at Western Connecticut State University match nonetheless.  The Wolves, who are KSC's only remaining conference match (next Friday), can actually help the Owls clinch a playoff spot if they beat the Anchorwomen at home – at which point the KSC/WestConn match would determine seeding.  However, if RIC, who was one of the lone hiccups of the Owls' recent run wins, KSC's fate would remain unresolved heading into the final day – needing a win or a Rhode Island College loss to last-place Vermont State University Castleton to clinch.

Small had 12 assists, eight digs, and five aces for KSC while Delia Ryan added 15 digs.

Mount Holyoke was paced by 19 kills (on a whopping 44 swings) by Elle Rimando, though 10 of those kills (on 16 swings) came in the first set.  KSC's blocking became a factor as the game went on, compiling a 6-1 advantage.

Keene State has one more non-conference matchup on deck, as they visit Worcester State University (8-17, 4-3 MASCAC) for a 6:00 p.m. start on Tuesday, November 4.  The Lancers have played only six home matches all season, going 3-3.  Mount Holyoke, who has their most conference wins in a season since 1994 and is aiming to clinch their first playoff berth in the NEWMAC since 2006, hosts the United States Coast Guard Academy on the same night.