Blazers Drop Road Match At WNEU

SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Elms College Women's Volleyball team was swept on the road at Western New England University (25-20, 25-22, 26-24).

The Blazers were led by sophomore Alanys Cruz (Humacao, P.R.) and junior Hannah Pichardo (South Glen Falls, N.Y.) who produced nine and eight kills, respectively. Junior setter Dakota Stewart (Victoria, TX) registered a double-double with  22 assists and 15 digs.

Western New England raced out to a 7-1 lead in the opening frame. The Blazers fought back to tie the set at 13-13, before the Golden Bears regained the momentum and pushed their advantage back to five (20-15) on their way to a 25-20 victory.

Trailing 15-10 in the second set, Elms posted a 5-0 spurt to tie the score. The frame remained close throughout, with the Blazers claiming a 22-21 edge on a Cruz kill before Western New England closed out the set with a 4-0 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Elms held the upper hand midway through the third set, as a Pichardo kill gave the Blazers a 15-9 cushion. Western New England began to chip away at its deficit, battling back to tie the frame 20-20. The teams went back and forth down the stretch until McDonnell sealed the win for the Golden Bears with a kill followed by a match-ending service ace.

The Blazers are back in action on Saturday 9/7 when they host a tri-match with Umass- Dartmouth and Gordon College. Elms will face Umass-Dartmouth at 10:00AM and Gordon at 2:00PM.