Women's Volleyball Takes Opening Set Against Dean

FRANKLIN, Mass. - The Elms College Women's Volleyball team traveled to Dean College for a conference match Friday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 1 (25, 22, 19, 14) | Dean College 3 (21, 25, 25, 25)
Records: Blazers 2-20, 1-9 (GNAC) | Bulldogs 9-11, 5-4 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The opening set would begin with an early Dean lead, until a kill from senior Francesca Dirienzo (West Springfield, Mass.) would record the first point for Elms. The Bulldogs would continue their offensive pressure, expanding their lead 10-3, until a kill by sophomore Quiana Gibbs (Porterville, Cali,) made her first kill of the evening, followed by a service ace from junior Angelica Marks (Miami, Fla.), a block by Dirienzo, and a kill from sophomore Victoria Solis (Springfield, Mass.). The Blazers would follow with a rally beginning with kills from Gibbs, junior Alysha Izquierdo (Holyoke, Mass.), and Marks along with a service ace by junior Alejandra Marin (Dorado, P.R.) to take the lead. Then back-to-back kills by junior Jaylen Holman (Las Cruces, N.M.) would secure the opening set for Elms 25-21.

The second set would again see the Blazers with an early 10-5 lead, after multiple kills from Dirienzo, Gibbs, Izquierdo, and Holman. Dean would then make a substitution that would help them rally back into the set to tie Elms 11-11. The two conference foes would go back and forth trading serves following kills and errors. During this time, the Blazers would see kills by Solis, Dirienzo, Marin, and Gibbs, but the Bulldogs would even the match at one set a piece by a score of 25-22.

The third set would see Elms in the offensive again, with a 3-0 lead following back-to-back kills by Dirienzo and Izquierdo, but Dean would quickly respond by taking the short-lived lead. First-year Maria Codianni (Waterbury, Conn.) and Izquierdo would both make service aces, and kills from Marks, Dirienzo, Gibbs, first-year Kaley Campbell, and Solis would help the Blazers rally, but the Bulldogs would win the set 25-19.

The fourth and final set would begin with a short-lived Elms lead, after a service ace by Solis, but Dean would force a rally and take the lead. The Blazers would fight back with multiple kills from Gibbs, Dirienzo, Solis, and Izquierdo to keep them within an arm's length of tying, but the Bulldogs would defeat Elms 25-14 and win the conference match 3-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Gibbs would lead the Blazers with 13 kills, six digs, and an assist.

• Holman made a season high 34 assists, with 16 digs and three kills.

• Dirienzo recorded seven kills, a block, and a dig.

• Solis had seven digs, six kills, and a service ace.

• Izquierdo made nine digs, five kills, two assists, and a service ace.

UP NEXT: The Elms Women's Volleyball team will travel to nearby Longmeadow, Mass. to take on Bay Path University in a non-conference match on Wednesday, October 30th at 7 PM.

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