Western New England Splits with Wheaton & WestConn

Chiodini posts double-doubles in both matches, finishing with 25 kills and 30 digs for the day

NORTON, Mass. (October 15, 2016) – The Western New England University volleyball team split a pair of non-conference contests with Wheaton College and Western Connecticut State University earlier today during a tri-match at Wheaton's Emerson Gymnasium. The Golden Bears opened their day with a 3-1 (25-23, 27-29, 25-18, 25-17) victory over Wheaton, before falling to Western Connecticut by the same score (25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21).

Western New England 3, Wheaton 1

Top Performers
• Junior outside hitter Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) led the way for the Golden Bears, registering her fourth double-double of the season with 13 kills, 13 digs and five aces.
• Junior outside hitter Emmaline Chiodini (Saint Louis, Mo.) also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs.
• Senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.) dished out 33 assists to go with a career-high 25 digs.

• Freshman outside hitter Nikita Selivan (Lexington, Mass.) paced the Wheaton offense with a team-high 13 kills.

Match Review
• After splitting the first two sets, Western New England raced out to a 12-3 lead in the third frame. Wheaton eventually fought all the way back to take the lead (17-16) with the help of a 7-0 run, but the Golden Bears closed out the set by winning nine of the final ten points.
• Western New England held a sizeable lead early in the fourth set (12-5), and again Wheaton fought back, cutting its deficit to one on several occasions. The Lyons were unable to completely close the gap, however, as the Golden Bears pulled away late to seal the win.

Notes
• Western New England's victory marked its second win over Wheaton this season, as the Golden Bears posted a 3-1 triumph at the Alumni Healthful Living Center back on September 6.
• Junior libero Brianna Roath (Jackson, N.J.) finished with 21 digs, her third 20+ dig performance this season.
• The Golden Bears hit .257 with 11 kills and just two errors in their opening set victory.

Western Connecticut State 3, Western New England 1

Top Performers
• Junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.) hit .478 with 14 kills and just three errors in 23 swings.
• Chiodini posted her second straight double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs.
• Leuck established a new career-high with 45 assists to go with nine digs.

• Senior outside hitter Karissa Smith (Bristol, Conn.) led the Colonials with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs.

Match Review
• After dropping the opening set, the Golden Bears hit .342 with 17 kills and four errors in 38 attempts on their way to evening the match with a win in frame two.
• Western New England led 13-12 following a 4-0 run midway through the third set, but the Colonials answered with a 3-0 run, which featured two kills from Smith, and didn't trail the rest of the way.
• Western Connecticut built an eight-point lead (18-10) in the fourth frame and held off a late Western New England charge to complete the 3-1 win.   

Notes
• Leuck reached the 40-assist mark for the third time this season and second time in the last four matches.
• Roath led five Golden Bears in double figures with 19 digs.

Up Next
Western New England (15-8) returns home to host Endicott College on Wednesday night for its Dig Pink Rally match.