Golden Bears Recover From Opening Set Loss to Defeat Mount Holyoke, 3-1

Kornberg finishes with 11 kills and 18 digs, McCormack records 39 assists

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 12, 2017) – The Western New England University volleyball team recovered from an opening set loss to defeat Mount Holyoke College, 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-23), on Thursday evening in non-conference action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
• Senior outside hitter Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) led the Golden Bears in both kills (11) and digs (18) to go with four aces.
• Senior Sam Heffer (Bethpage, N.Y.) also recorded 11 kills, while sophomore Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.) posted a double-double with 11 kills and ten digs.
• Freshman setter Jenna McCormack (Nashua, N.H.) tallied a season-high 39 assists, nine digs and six aces.

• Sophomore outside hitter Sasha Simine (Kitchener, Ont.) paced the Lyons, hitting .450 with ten kills and three blocks, while junior libero Cameron Graham (Sarasota, Fla.) posted a match-high 21 digs and freshman setter Brayden Walden (McKinney, Tex.) totaled 27 assists, ten digs and two block assists.

Match Review
• Western New England hit .000 with 14 attack errors in the opening set en route to a six-point loss.  
• With the second set tied 19-19, the Golden Bears won five straight points with two kills each from Matthews and sophomore middle blocker Cassandra Holmes (Ellington, Conn.) to go up 24-19, before eventually closing out the frame with a Mount Holyoke attack error.
• Four service aces by McCormack helped Western New England establish an early 6-0 lead over the Lyons in the third set. The Golden Bears never relinquished their advantage and went on to win by 12 points to claim a 2-1 set lead.
• Needing a fourth set win to force a fifth frame, the Lyons used a late 3-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. The Golden Bears battled back to tie the score at 22, however, and after falling behind 23-22, they sealed the win with three straight points. Freshman Katara Mullet (Pittsfield, Mass.) closed it out with a service ace following a kill by Kornberg and a Mount Holyoke attack error.

Notes
• Western New England hit .270 in the second set, .333 in the third and .178 overall.
• Kornberg's double-double is her third of the season and first since September 20.
• McCormack's 39 assists are 22 more than her previous high of 17, set on September 2 against Mills.

Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, as Western New England (11-10) travels to Norton, Mass. for a tri-match with Wheaton College and UMass Dartmouth, and Mount Holyoke (7-8) plays at Bard.