Women's Volleyball Sweeps Newbury In NECC Opener

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Elms College women's volleyball team rolled past host Newbury College, 3-0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-14), in their New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opener at Pappas Gymnasium Tuesday night. With the win, the Blazers rise to 9-7 overall, and 1-0 in the NECC, while the Nighthawks slide to 0-1 in conference and 2-14 on the season.

The Blazers captured a 5-0 lead in the first set behind two aces from freshman Dakota Stewart (Victoria, Texas) and strikes from juniors Rachel Magnuson (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Caroline Locke (West Springfield, Mass.). Newbury whittled the gap to 8-5 as freshman Stephanie Rheaume (Hampton, N.H.) notched two kills and an ace. Elms held a 13-6 advantage following a service ace from sophomore Hannah Adams (Deerfield, Mass.), but Newbury responded with 9-2 run, featuring a kill and an ace from senior Julia Leggett (Longview, Wash.), to knot the score at 15-15. Elms regained control with a 6-1 run, and then capitalized on Nighthawk errors to seal the 25-18 win.

The Blazers cruised to a 10-0 advantage early in the second set, powered by five aces from Stewart and a pair of kills from junior Danielle Redding (Las Vegas, N.V.). Leading 11-4, Elms continued to thrive at the service line as Magnuson tallied two aces, followed by a trio of aces from freshman Ayanna Meadows (Springfield, Mass.) to possess a 19-5 lead. Down the stretch, Stewart and Magnuson added kills, along with aces from Stewart and senior Kate Moriarty (Agawam, Mass.), and then Locke closed out the 25-10 win.

Elms freshman Hayley Castanos (Santa Ana, Calif.) contributed a kill and an ace to guide the Blazers to a 5-1 lead in the third set. The Blazers used a pair of aces from Meadows to own an 11-7 advantage, but the Nighthawks rallied to trim the deficit to 11-10 on a kill from freshman Ruby Bryant (New Haven, Conn.). Elms pulled away with an 8-0 run, paced by three aces from freshman Hannah Pichardo (South Glen Falls, N.Y.), to harness a 19-10 lead. Magnuson slammed three kills during a 6-4 run by Elms to wrap up the sweep of the Nighthawks.

Magnuson paced a balanced Blazers attack with team-high seven kills with three aces, three blocks and two digs. Meadows tallied five kills with five aces and a match-high seven digs, while Redding, Castanos, and Stewart added three kills apiece. Stewart registered a career-high eight aces with a match-high 21 assists, while Adams grabbed a match-high seven digs in the win. The Blazers totaled 23 service aces during the match, the most in a match since four-set road loss at St. Joseph (Conn.) during the 2007 season.

Rheaume led the Nighthawks with a match-high eight kills and two blocks. Leggett added six kills, six digs and two aces, while senior Marlen Reynoso (Springdale, Ark.) chipped in a match-high seven digs and 12 assists.

The Blazers will look to remain in the win column when they host Fitchburg State in non-conference action at Picknelly Arena Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Newbury hosts Becker College in NECC play Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

ELMS VOLLEYBALL