Western New England Earns 3-1 Non-Conference Win over Smith

Holmes, Ferguson & McDonnell all record 10+ kills for Golden Bears

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 10, 2018) – The Western New England University volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22) victory over Smith College on Wednesday evening in non-conference action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center. 

Top Performers
Junior middle blocker Cassandra Holmes (Ellington, Conn.) turned in another strong effort for the Golden Bears, as she hit .458 with 13 kills and six digs.

Senior outside hitter Jenna Ferguson (Ellington, Conn.) posted a double-double with ten kills, 18 digs and three aces, while sophomore outside hitter Hailey McDonnell (Methuen, Mass.) chipped in with ten kills and three digs.

Smith was fueled by sophomore outside hitter Amy Hagen (Owings, Md.), who produced a match-best 18 kills to go with seven digs and two aces.

Game Review
With the opening set tied 6-6, Western New England took control with five straight points that included two aces by freshman Caleigh McDermott (Oakdale, N.Y.) to open up an 11-6 cushion. Smith was able to eventually close the gap to three (19-16) later in the frame, but the Golden Bears won the final six points to close out the set.

Smith raced out to a 10-6 lead in the second set, and the Pioneers didn't trail until a service error gave Western New England a 16-15 edge midway through the frame. Leading by the same margin (20-19) later in the set, the Golden Bears again finished strong with a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Pioneers pulled ahead towards the end of the closely contested third set, eventually opening up a 22-18 advantage on an attack error by Ferguson. The Golden Bears pulled to within two points (24-22), but a service error ended the frame in favor of Smith.

Western New England established a 9-4 lead in the fourth set, but Smith battled back to close to within one (17-16). The Golden Bears utilized a 4-0 run that featured three kills from Holmes, however, to gain some separation. The Pioneers again fought back, but their late rally came up short as Western New England clinched the win with a 25-22 result.

Notes
• Western New England posted a .198 attack percentage for the match, led by Holmes (.458) and McDonnell (.444).
• Holmes has recorded 39 kills and just five attack errors over her last three contests.
• The Golden Bears utilized two setters with sophomore Jenna McCormack (Nashua, N.H.) recording 34 assists and junior Maria Duffy (Meriden, Conn.) adding ten.

Up Next
Western New England (8-12) will be right back in action tomorrow night with another non-conference match at Keene State, while Smith (3-16) is off until next Tuesday, when the Pioneers host Coast Guard.