Volleyball Drops Five Set Match 3-2 to Keene State

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 21, 2021) – The Golden Bears played host to non-conference rival Keene State this evening where the Golden Bears dropped a close match 3-2.

Records:

• Keene State: 14-9, 3-3 LEC
• Western New England: 10-11, 3-3 CCC

How It Happened:

The Golden Bears opened the first set with 16 kills and a .282 hitting percentage to win the first set 25-19. After the Owls scored the first point of the set a 6-0 run earned Western New England a lead they kept the remainder of the set. The Golden Bears led 24-15 when the Owls rallied for four points before a kill by Sarah Scott ended the set with the Golden Bears winning 25-19.

Keene State opened the second set strong recording 17 kills with a .293 hitting percentage to take the set 25-21. An 8-4 run by the Owls gave themselves their largest lead of the match followed by two rallies of three straight points to lead 14-7. The Golden Bears were down 21-15 when they gained momentum with two kills from Scott to score four in a row and get within two. The Owls held strong and won the set 25-21 to tie the match 1-1.

In the third set, the Golden Bears hit the best they had all match recording a .370 hitting percentage with 13 kills. Western New England led 3-0 and then extended their lead to 9-3 with three service aces by Taylor Geist. The Owls recorded a 7-2 run but were unable to gain the lead. A 6-1 run by the Golden Bears gave them the 19-12 advantage that they held onto through the end to win the set 25-20 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Western New England jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set before an 8-3 stretch for the Owls earned them the 8-7 lead. The set was then tied four times before the Owls secured a 5-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. The Golden Bears fought to get back in the set but came up short where the Owls took the set 25-19 with a total of 13 kills and recording a .333 hitting percentage. This sent the match to the fifth set tied 2-2.

In the fifth set, the Golden Bears hit .080 percent while the Owls hit .194. The Owls jumped out to a 7-0 lead that the Golden Bears were unable to recover from. A late 3-0 run for Western New England gave hope down 11-6 and later three more points put the Golden Bears within five (14-9). The Owls scored the final point to win 15-9 and take the match 3-2.

Inside the Numbers:

• The Golden Bears hit .208 in the match with 53 kills, 50 assists and 70 digs while also tallying 10 service aces.
• Scott and Olivia Hall both tallied 15 kills apiece while both earning double-doubles with 13 digs for Hall and 11 digs for Scott.
• Alissa Hawes earned her second double-double of her career with 11 kills and 20 dogs while Taylor Geist set a new career best with 43 assists and earned four service aces.  
• Taylor Deluga recorded 17 digs and five assists in the match along with two service aces.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears hit the road on Saturday, October 23^rd when they head to conference foe Roger Williams for a 1 p.m. first serve.