Golden Bears Split with UMass Dartmouth, Johnson & Wales

Skibinski, Holmes combine for 20 kills in win over Corsairs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 8, 2016) – The Western New England University volleyball team split a pair of non-conference matches with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Johnson & Wales University today at the Alumni Healthful Living Center. The Golden Bears rolled to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-19) sweep of UMass Dartmouth in the morning, before falling to Johnson & Wales, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-23) in the final match of the day.

WNE 3, UMass Dartmouth 0

Top Performers
• Junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.) hit .667 with ten kills and no errors in 15 attempts, leading the way for the Golden Bears. Skibinski also chipped in with two block assists and two digs.
• Freshman middle hitter Cassandra Holmes (Ellington, Conn.) matched Skibinski with ten kills, while making just one error in 14 attempts (.643). She also added three digs and a pair of block assists.
• Senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.) dished out a match-high 34 assists to go with 11 digs and two block assists.

• Freshman outside hitter Anita Sengara (Vancouver, B.C.) paced the Corsairs with a team-high ten kills and six digs.

Match Review
• Junior outside hitter Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) recorded a pair of aces and Holmes notched two kills as the Golden Bears scored the first five points of the opening set. Western New England didn't trail the rest of the way, but the Corsairs cut their deficit to two (15-13) following a kill by freshman Nicole Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.). Leading 17-14, the Golden Bears closed out the set with an 8-0 run.
• UMass Dartmouth kept the second set close early, trailing by just three (10-7) after a service error by Skibinski, but Western New England took control from there, winning three straight points as part of a 8-2 run overall as the Golden Bears opened up an 18-9 cushion. Western New England continued to pull away from there, cruising to a 12-point victory.
• The Corsairs held leads of 5-2 and 10-6 early in the third set, before the Golden Bears regained the lead with a 7-0 run that featured six UMass Dartmouth errors. Western New England's lead didn't fall below two the rest of the way as the Golden Bears held off a late rally to complete the sweep.

Notes
• Western New England followed up its .333 hitting percentage in the first set with a .684 mark in frame two, totaling 14 kills with just one error in 19 attempts. The Golden Bears hit .384 for the match, their second highest percentage of the season.
• With the win, Western New England earned its second consecutive sweep and sixth of 2016.
• Skibinski and Holmes combined for 20 kills and just one attack error in 29 attempts.
• Leuck, who surpassed the 30-assist mark for the eighth time this season, also recorded her ninth double-double.

Johnson & Wales 3, WNE 0

Top Performers
• Kornberg tallied team-highs in both kills (nine) and digs (21) against the Wildcats.
• Skibinski finished with eight kills, while Leuck handed out 33 assists.

• Freshman outside hitter Maria Coniglio (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) led the way for Johnson & Wales, compiling ten kills and 19 digs.
• Sophomore middle blocker Emily Kalmink (Byron Center, Mich.) also recorded ten kills while making just one error in 25 attempts (.360). Defensively, Kalmink finished with a match-high six block assists.

Match Review
• Western New England opened up an early 7-1 lead in the first set, but Johnson & Wales rallied to take a 10-9 lead with a 9-2 run. With the frame tied 14-14, the Wildcats reeled off four straight points and didn't look back, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
• Another strong start for the Golden Bears had the home team up 12-6 early in the second set, but again Johnson & Wales fought back, this time using a 7-0 run to regain a 13-12 edge. Western New England trailed by just two (19-17) after a kill by Kornberg later in the set, before the Wildcats pulled away and closed out the frame with a 6-1 run.
• The tightly contested third set saw Western New England leading by two late (20-18) following a kill by Skibinski. A 3-0 run allowed the Wildcats to claim a 21-20 edge, and the visitors would hold on to complete the sweep.

Notes
• Johnson & Wales improved to 20-0 with its two victories today.
• Western New England made nine attack errors in the first set after recording just six in the three-set victory over UMass Dartmouth.
• Junior Brianna Roath (Jackson, N.J.) finished with 17 digs, bringing her total to 23 for the day.

Up Next
Western New England (12-7) will be right back in action on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., as the Golden Bears wrap up their five-match homestand with a CCC contest against Salve Regina.