WPI Sweeps Women’s Volleyball, 3-0

WPI Sweeps Women’s Volleyball, 3-0

Box Score

CHICOPEE, MA – Elms College freshman outside hitter Christina Martin (Chicopee, MA) downed a team-high 7 kills, but WPI received a match-high 16-kill effort from Bailey Sarber (Westerly, RI) to help lift the Engineers to a 3-0 (22-25, 11-25, 19-25) sweep of the Blazers in Thursday evening’s non-conference volleyball match at Picknelly Arena.

With the loss, Elms falls to 2-2 overall, while WPI remains unbeaten and moves to 8-0 on the season to continue the squad’s best start to a season in program history.

Leading 2-0 in the match, WPI built a 20-13 lead before the Blazers scored two of the next three points to cut its deficit to 21-15. From there, the Engineers rallied for three straight points to set the score at 24-15, before Elms received a kill each from sophomore outside hitter Stacy Croteau (Agawam, MA), Martin , sophomore outside hitter Jen Rego (Fall River, MA) and a service ace by Croteau to cut the lead to 24-19. WPI then used a kill from Becca Holmberg (Madison, CT) to seal the set and the match.

The win was the fourth-straight for the Engineers over Elms, dating back to the first match in 2006.

In the opening set, the sides fought to a 14-14 draw before WPI strung together 10 of the next 13 points, bringing the score to 24-17. The Blazers mounted a five-point comeback, highlighted by a kill apiece from Martin and senior outside hitter Melissa Clark (Chicopee, MA) to bring Elms to within two at 24-22. From there, Holmberg downed an Alex Rangel (Weston, FL) set to close out the set and give the Engineers a 1-0 lead in the contest.

In the second set, WPI roared out to a 16-0 lead and did not look back, winning the set 25-11. As a team, the Engineers hit .571 for the second set (13K 1E 21TA) to help post a 2-0 lead in the match.

Rego paced the Blazers offense with 12 assists while senior setter Kim Phillips (Randolph, MA) dished out six while adding six kills and four digs.

Croteau dug a team-best nine balls in the losing effort.

Rangel handed out a match-best 38 helpers, while Joan Porambo (Jim Thorpe, PA) notched 10 digs, also a match-high.

Sarber finished with a .560 hitting percentage to pace WPI which hit .398 for the contest.

Elms College returns to action at Picknelly Arena, Saturday, Sept. 12 when it hosts Smith and Colby-Sawyer for a tri-match. First-serve against Smith is slated for 12:00 p.m. with Saturday’s contest against Colby-Sawyer slated for a 4:00 p.m. start.