Volleyball Swept by Salve Regina, 3-0

NEWPORT, R.I. (October 16, 2019) – The Western New England University volleyball had its season-high four match winning streak snapped with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-19) setback to Salve Regina University on Wednesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Rodgers Recreation Center.

Top Performers
Senior outside hitter Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.) paced the Golden Bears with a team-high 11 kills and 18 digs. Senior setter Caitlyn Sibiskie (Rockfall, Conn.) finished with 28 assists and 18 digs.

Salve Regina sophomore outside hitter Nicole Karabaich (Greenlawn, N.Y.) led all players with a match-high 13 kills. Senior Annie Donahue (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Andee Bender (Lebanon, Conn.) added 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

Game Review
Western New England, which led for much of the first set, fell behind 17-16 following a 3-0 Salve Regina spurt before responding with a 5-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. The Seahawks utilized a key 7-0 run, however, to take control of the frame en route to a 25-22 triumph.

The Golden Bears again held late leads in the second set, including 18-15 and 20-19, before a Karabaich kill sparked a 3-0 run that put the home team ahead for good. After a Matthews kill got Western New England back to within a point (24-23), Bender put down a kill to end the frame and give Salve a 2-0 set lead.

In the third and final set, the Seahawks posted an early 5-0 run to open up an 8-4 advantage. Salve never trailed after that point and pulled away down the stretch to complete the sweep.

Notes
• The Golden Bears hit a match-best .211 in the opening set.
• Western New England leads the all-time series with Salve 9-8, but the Seahawks have won four straight over the Golden Bears.

Up Next
Western New England (11-11, 2-2 CCC) returns home to host Colby-Sawyer and Westfield State in a tri-match on Saturday. Salve Regina (9-12, 3-2 CCC) travels to Roger Williams next Tuesday.