Western New England Defeats Eastern Connecticut (3-1) and Westfield State (3-0)

Chiodini records 29 kills, 24 digs and six aces over the two matches

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 30, 2017) – The Western New England University volleyball team earned non-conference victories over Eastern Connecticut State University (3-1) and Westfield State University (3-0) on Saturday at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Western New England 3, Eastern Connecticut 1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 25-21)

Top Performers
• Senior outside hitter Emmaline Chiodini (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Golden Bears with a strong all-around effort, hitting .224 with a team-high 15 kills, ten digs, two service aces, two assists and two block assists.
• Sophomore setter Caitlyn Sibiskie (Rockfall, Conn.) also posted a double-double with 37 assists, 13 digs and three aces. She recorded a career-high six kills on a .417 attack percentage.
• Senior libero Brianna Roath (Jackson, N.J.) was among four Golden Bears to tally 10+ digs with a team-high 23.

• Freshman outside hitter Abby Stern (Manchester, Conn.) led Eastern Connecticut with a match-best 22 kills to go with 11 digs, two block assists and two aces.
• Senior libero Michelle Valliere (Lebanon, Conn.) finished with 26 digs, and junior setter Leah Sopneski (Deep River, Conn.) totaled 26 assists and nine digs.

Match Review
• Trailing 15-12 in the opening set, the Golden Bears won five straight points to claim a 17-15 edge. Western New England didn't look back from there, using a pair of late service aces from senior Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) and an Eastern Connecticut attack error to seal the set win.
• After the Warriors won a tightly contested second frame, Western New England established an early lead in the third set. The Golden Bears maintained a slim advantage throughout, eventually extending their lead to six (20-14) before going on to win by seven.
• Needing a win in the fourth set to extend the match, the Warriors opened up an early 8-3 lead. Western New England fought back to regain the lead at 11-10, and the two teams continued to trade points until the late stages of the set. The Golden Bears used consecutive kills from Chiodini to take their first two-point lead (21-19), and a late 3-0 run made it 24-20 before an Eastern Connecticut attack error clinched Western New England's victory.

Western New England 3, Westfield State 0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21)

Top Performers
• Chiodini turned in another impressive performance in the second match of the day, hitting .500 with 14 kills and just two errors in 24 attempts. She recorded her second straight double-double, tallying 14 digs, four service aces and one block assist.
• Kornberg hit .333 with 11 kills, five digs and three aces, while freshman middle blocker Toni Fiore (Maxwell, N.Y.) chipped in with nine kills and a pair of block assists.

• Freshman outside hitter Ainsley MacLeod (Hampden, Mass.) recorded a team-high seven kills for Westfield State, and senior libero Tiara Vaughn (East Falmouth, Mass.) finished with 14 digs.

Match Review
• Western New England took control early in the first set, winning the first four points en route to an 11-3 advantage. The Golden Bears eventually extended their lead to ten (20-10) on a kill by Chiodini, and went on to claim an eight-point triumph.
• A 7-0 run early in the second set allowed Western New England to take an 11-6 lead. The Owls pulled back to within three on a couple of occasions, but the Golden Bears pulled away late to take a 2-0 set lead.
• Trailing 4-2 in the third set, Western New England used a 6-0 run to take an 8-4 advantage. Westfield State battled back to regain a 19-18 edge late, but the Golden Bears won seven of the final nine points to complete the sweep.

Notes
• Western New England hit .181 against Eastern Connecticut and .208 in the victory over the Owls.
• With her two double-doubles today, Chiodini has now recorded six this season.
• Sibiskie compiled 64 assists over the two wins.

Up Next
Western New England (10-8) will be back in action on Wednesday night, when the Golden Bears host perennial Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) power Roger Williams at 7 p.m.