Golden Bears Drop Two at Wheaton Tri-Match

NORTON, Mass. (September 18, 2021) – Women's volleyball competed in a non-conference tri-match at Wheaton College against Smith and Wheaton today where the Golden Bears came up short in both.

Records:

• Smith College: 8-2, 1-0 NEWMAC
• Wheaton College: 8-2, 1-1 NEWMAC
• Western New England: 4-5, 0-0 CCC

How It Happened: vs. Smith

Smith took a 9-1 lead after a 6-0 run right off the start. The Golden Bears slowly started to chip away at Smith's lead with a 3-0 run to get within four (10-6). The rest of the set, neither team could score more than two points in a row with Smith remaining in the lead the whole time. Smith took the first set 25-21 for a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set started with back-and-forth action between the Golden Bears and the Pioneers. Four unanswered points for the Pioneers earned them a 13-8 lead that they continued to extend. In their next serve, the Pioneers scored six straight to advance their lead to nine (19-10). The Golden Bears were unable to recover and allowed another 4-0 to Smith for the Pioneers to win the second set 25-14 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set opened with a 5-0 run for Smith. The Pioneers held the lead at 11-5 before the Golden Bears gained back the serve. With Zoe Bozzay at the serve, the Golden Bears scored five straight with three aces by Bozzay to tie the set 11-11. The set was tied three more times with the Golden Bears leading 17-14. The Pioneers gained momentum and scored five in a row to take a 19-17 lead. Smith led 23-21 when the Golden Bears took control and scored the next four points to win the set 25-23.

The Golden Bears led 4-3 in the fourth set before Smith tied the set 4-4 and took more to lead 8-4. The Pioneers extended their lead 11-7 and later 18-15 before the Golden Bears scored three unanswered points to tie the set 18-18. Western New England tied the set again at 19-19 and then later with a 3-0 run the Golden Bears took a 22-21 lead. The Pioneers tied the set 22-22 before the Golden Bears took back the lead 23-22. Smith took control and score the final three points of the set to win 25-23 and take the match 3-1.

Inside the Numbers: vs. Smith

• Sarah Scott led the Golden Bears with 13 kills while Alissa Hawes tallied eight in the match.
• Hailey Sell recorded 18 assists while Taylor Geist earned 11.
• Becca Mayer led the Golden Bears in digs with 18 while Bozzay earned four service aces in the match.
• The Golden Bears hit with a .091 percentage in the match.

How it Happened: vs. Wheaton

The Golden Bears opened the first set against Wheaton with seven kills and a .190 hitting percentage compared to the Lyons' 13 kills and .265 hitting percentage. The Lyons won the first set 25-17 to take a 1-0 lead heading into the second set of the match. Western New England had different plans for the second set where they tallied 13 kills for a .241 hitting percentage while Wheaton only garnered eight kills with a .138 hitting percentage. The Golden Bears won the second set 25-22 to tie the match 1-1.

In the third set, Wheaton led 15 kills to 10 and recorded a .393 hitting percentage compared to the Golden Bears' .182. Wheaton regained a lead in the match winning the third set 25-19. In the fourth set, the Golden Bears earned nine kill with a .208 hitting percentage, but the Lyons edged out the Golden Bears with 11 kills and a .258 hitting percentage to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

Inside the Numbers: vs. Wheaton

• Scott led the Golden Bears in kills once again with 11 and recorded six digs while both Nina Sullivan and Hawes recorded eight kills apiece.
• Sell racked up 31 assists in the match and recorded a double-double with 10 digs while Mayer also tallied 10 digs.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears open conference play next week hosting Gordon on Tuesday, September 21^st at 7 p.m.