Golden Bears Punch Ticket to CCC Championship Match with Dominant 3-0 Win over UNE

Western New England will make first appearance in CCC title contest since 2009

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 3, 2016) – The third-seeded Western New England University volleyball team secured a berth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship match for the first time since 2009 with a dominant 3-0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-11) victory over seventh-seeded University of New England in the semifinal round this evening at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Western New England (21-9) will take on top-seeded Endicott, which defeated Salve Regina in tonight's other CCC semifinal, in the title match on Saturday afternoon in Beverly. UNE's season comes to a close at 14-13.

Top Performers
• Junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.) led a balanced Western New England offense with seven kills, while making just one attack error in 19 attempts (.316). Skibinski also registered a match-high six blocks (two solo) and five service aces to go with three digs.
• Junior outside hitter Sam Heffer (Bethpage, N.Y.) hit a team-high .600 with seven kills and just one error in ten swings.
• Freshman outside hitter Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.) finished with six kills and six digs.

• Junior setter Kristen Falcinelli (Silver Spring, Md.) paced the Nor'easters with seven assists, seven digs and two kills.

Match Review
• Western New England set the tone for the match early in the first set, as the Golden Bears won the first four points and didn't trail the rest of the way. The Nor'easters got as close as one (8-7), but Western New England quickly stretched its advantage back to five (13-8). A kill by freshman Maddy Blake (Brookline, N.H.) had the visitors within three (18-15) midway through the set, but they would get no closer. Junior outside hitter Emmaline Chiodini (St. Louis, Mo.) answered with a kill for the Golden Bears, sparking a 7-0, set-ending run.
• Western New England dropped the first point in the second set, but cruised after that point, holding leads of 12 (15-3) and eventually 18 (22-4) before settling for a 17-point win. The Golden Bears hit a match-best .357 in the frame, tallying ten kills without a single attack error in 28 attempts.
• Western New England again took control early in the third set, opening up an 8-2 lead following a 5-0 run with junior Torie Howdeshell (Fairbanks, Alaska) at the service line. The Nor'easters were able to cut their deficit to two (12-10), but the Golden Bears answered with an 8-0 run that featured kills by Skibinski, Heffer and Matthews. UNE would manage just one more point as Western New England completed the 3-0 sweep with a convincing 25-11 result in the final frame.

Notes
• The Golden Bears will be making just their second appearance in a conference championship match in program history. Western New England reached the CCC title game in 2009 when current head coach Samantha Shomo was a junior on a squad that finished 27-10.
• Western New England posted a .244 hitting percentage, while the Nor'easters turned in a -.080 clip (17 kills & 25 errors in 100 attempts).
• Chiodini recorded five kills and ten digs, extending her streak of 10+ dig efforts to nine matches.
• Senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.) is now just four assists shy of 2000 for her career after handing out 25 tonight.
• Western New England has matched its longest winning streak of the season (six) heading into Saturday's showdown at Endicott.