Roger Williams Tops Western New England 3-0 in CCC Play

Skibinski leads Golden Bears, hitting .455 with match-high 12 kills

BRISTOL, R.I. (September 27, 2016) – The Western New England University volleyball team was dealt a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) setback this evening at Roger Williams University in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Campus Rec Center.

Top Performers
• Junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.) continued her strong play, hitting a team-best .455 with a match-high 12 kills and just two errors in 22 attempts.
• Senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.) recorded 30 assists and a team-high 15 digs.
• Junior libero Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) added 13 digs to go with three service aces.

• Senior outside hitter Kristen Boyer (Ephrata, Pa.) led a balanced Roger Williams offense with nine kills while also chipping in with seven digs and a pair of blocks.
• Freshman setter Julia Fields (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) finished with 31 assists, seven digs and two block assists.

Match Review
• Western New England used a 10-2 run early in the opening set to open up a 12-6 lead, but Roger Williams answered with a 9-2 run to regain the lead at 15-14. The Golden Bears were able to tie the score and keep the set close late (19-18), before the Hawks pulled away and closed the frame on a 6-0 run.
• Western New England again led early in the second set, opening up a 9-5 advantage following a kill by freshman outside hitter Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.). Roger Williams began to chip away at its deficit, however, eventually pulling ahead 13-12 before using a 3-0 run later in the set to turn a 16-15 edge into a 19-15 advantage. The Golden Bears were unable to get closer than three the rest of the way, falling by five points on their way to a 2-0 deficit in the match.
• For the third straight set, Western New England was in control early, leading 7-2 following a kill by Skibinski. With the Golden Bears still holding a two-point edge after another kill by Matthews, the Hawks reeled off five straight points to claim a 13-10 lead. The home team did not relinquish its lead the rest of the way, pulling away again to seal the sweep.

Notes
• Skibinski has recorded 31 kills with just eight attack errors over her last three matches.
• Leuck reached the 30-assist mark for the second consecutive match and fifth time this season.
• Roger Williams hit .300 in the opening set and .316 in the third, making just four combined errors over the two frames.
• The Golden Bears lost in three sets for just the third time this season.

Up Next
Western New England (9-4, 2-1 CCC) will be back in action on Saturday with a tri-match at Eastern Connecticut State. The Golden Bears will take on the Warriors at noon, before facing Smith at 2 p.m. Roger Williams (8-4, 3-0 CCC) returns home to host the RWU Invitational on Friday and Saturday.