Western New England Sweeps Nichols for Fourth Consecutive Victory

Golden Bears compile season-high 23 aces

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 25, 2018) – The Western New England University volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 (25-8, 25-8, 25-7) victory over Nichols College on Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
Senior outside hitter Jenna Ferguson (Ellington, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with a match-high 14 points on eight service aces and six kills.

Junior outside hitter Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.) hit .333 with seven kills, seven digs and three aces, while junior middle blocker Cassandra Holmes (Ellington, Conn.) and sophomore outside hitter Hailey McDonnell (Methuen, Mass.) chipped in with five kills each.

Nichols junior middle hitter Megan Gardner (South Deerfield, Mass.) produced a team-high four kills for the Bison.

Game Review
Western New England, which led 11-6 early in the first set, won seven straight points to establish an 18-6 advantage. The Bison managed just two points the rest of the way as the Golden Bears claimed a 1-0 edge in the match.

The home team again took control early in the second frame, opening up a 10-2 cushion at the conclusion of a 6-0 run that featured four aces from Holmes. Nichols was unable to recover as Western New England took a commanding 2-0 lead.

The Golden Bears continued to roll in the third and final frame, as they won 20 of the first 21 points en route to a 25-7 triumph.

Notes
• Western New England registered a season-high 23 aces in their first three-set victory of the season.
• The Golden Bears have won four consecutive matches, tying their longest winning streak from the 2017 campaign.
• Western New England hit over .400 in both the first and third sets, and .351 overall.

Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday, as Western New England (5-9, 3-0 CCC) travels to Worcester, Mass. to take on Clark, and Nichols (4-9, 0-3 CCC) heads to Franklin to face Dean.