Volleyball Drops Pair of Matches to Amherst and Emerson

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 11, 2021) – The Golden Bears hosted both Amherst College and Emerson College today in a tri-match where Western New England came up short in both matches falling to Amherst 3-0 and Emerson 3-1 for their first two losses of the season.

Records:

• Western New England: 4-2
• Amherst College: 3-0
• Emerson College: 4-2

How It Happened: vs. Amherst

The first set was back-and-forth with the set being tied seven times before the Mammoths scored three points consecutively to take an 11-8 lead. The Golden Bears quicky recovered with their own 3-0 run to tie the set once again at 12-12. The Mammoths began to take control of the set leading 17-13 and then 20-16 only allowing the Golden Bears one point at a time. Amherst remained in control and won the first set 25-18.

The second start started with Amherst taking a 3-0 lead and later with three straight points led 8-4 over the Golden Bears. Western New England was down 11-6 when they rallied for two points with a kill by Abigail Bundy to get the Golden Bears back within three. A 4-0 run by the Mammoths put Amherst back in control of the set leading 15-8 and later extended to 19-11. The Mammoths closed the set out with back-to-back 3-0 runs to win the second set 25-14 and lead 2-0 in the match.

Amherst opened the third set with a 7-0 run forcing the Golden Bears into a timeout. Out of the timeout Western New England scored three unanswered points to get back within four (7-3). The teams began trading points before Katelyn Hamasaki got to the serve for the Mammoths to lead Amherst on a 5-0 run to take a 14-6 lead. The Golden Bears answered with three straight points only for Amherst to quickly respond with an 8-0 run to lead 22-9. The Golden Bears were unable to recover, and Amherst took the set 25-14 and won the match 3-0.

Inside the Numbers: vs. Amherst

• Sarah Scott led the Golden Bears with another double-double, her fourth on the season, with 13 kills and 12 digs while freshman Alissa Hawes recorded five kills in the match.
• Hailey Sell recorded 24 assists in the match while Becca Mayer tallied nine digs.

How It Happened: vs. Emerson

Emerson scored the first point of the first set just to kick start the Golden Bears to score four in a row with Caleigh McDermott at the serve recording to service aces. Western New England remained in the lead despite Emerson's efforts. The Golden Bears led 10-5 when the Lions began to battle back and tied the game 10-10 with a 5-0 run. A kill by Hawes kept the Golden Bears ahead 11-10 only for the Lions to go on a 4-0 run and take their first lead of the set since the start at 14-11. Western New England slowly started chipping away and tied the set 16-16 before taking an 18-16 lead. The match became back-and-forth with the Golden Bears edging out the Lions 25-23 in the first set.

In the second set, Emerson took a 7-0 lead forcing the Golden Bears to re-evaluate in a timeout. A few errors by the Lions allowed Western New England to get within six (9-3) before the Lions took over offensively and extended their lead to 10 (20-10). The Golden Bears slowly made a come back and went on a 6-0 run when they were down 22-13 to get within three (22-19). The Lions gained control again and won the second set 25-19. This tied the match 1-1.

The third set was much more evenly matched with the set being tied five times before the Lions took an 8-6 lead. Later with a 5-0 run, the Lions extended their lead to five (18-13) only to continue their offensive power and eventually take the set 25-16 and earn a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Golden Bears came out strong in the fourth set taking their first early lead 2-0 and later extended it to a 6-2 lead with Hailey Sell at the serve. The Lions began chipping away at the lead, but the Golden Bears continued to maintain a solid lead of at least two and with a 4-0 run took a 12-5 lead over the Lions. After a couple back-and-forth points, Emerson scored six consecutive points to get back in the game trailing the Golden Bears 14-11. The Lions kept slowly progressing and closing in on the Golden Bears and eventually tied the set at 22-22. The set would then be tied six more times with the final being 28-28. A service ace by Caroline Bond of the Lions was the final point of the set for the Lions to win 30-28 and take the match 3-1.

Inside the Numbers: vs. Emerson

• Scott once again led the Golden Bears in kills with eight and recorded yet another double-double with 10 digs while Bundy tallied 11 kills and four digs. Isabelle Petty made a statement with nine kills and a hitting percentage of .211.
• Mayer led the team with 25 digs as libero and five assists with Hailey Sell recording 12 digs and 35 assists for another double-double.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears are back in action on Wednesday, September 15^th, when they travel to Westfield State for another non-conference match, set to start at 6 p.m.