Chiodini, Kornberg & Sibiskie post double-doubles for Golden Bears

WORCESTER, Mass. (September 14, 2017) – The Western New England University volleyball team came up just short in a 3-2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-8) loss to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Thursday evening in non-conference action at Harrington Auditorium. 

Top Performers
• Senior outside hitter Sam Heffer (Bethpage, N.Y.) led the Golden Bears offensively, hitting .250 with a team-high 13 kills.
• Senior outside hitter Emmaline Chiodini (St. Louis, Mo.) totaled 12 kills and 19 digs, while classmate Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) also posted a double-double with ten kills and 12 digs.
• Sophomore setter Caitlyn Sibiskie (Rockfall, Conn.) tallied 34 assists and 18 digs, and senior libero Brianna Roath (Jackson, N.J.) recorded 35 digs.

• Junior Casey Hunt (Granby, Conn.) and freshman Amanda Wetmore (Hudson, N.H.) paced WPI with 13 kills each, while junior setter Azita Bakhtyari (Andover, Mass.) finished with 35 assists and 23 digs.

Match Review
• After dropping the opening frame, Western New England posted a match-best .370 hitting percentage in the second set with 12 kills and just two errors on its way to a 25-17 win.
• WPI used a 4-0 run midway through the third set to pull ahead 15-11 and eventually regain a 2-1 lead in the match.
• Needing a fourth set win to stay alive, the Golden Bears opened up a 10-5 lead early. Western New England eventually led by as much as nine (18-9) following a kill by Heffer, and went on to claim the set and force a fifth frame.
• The Golden Bears got off to a strong start in the deciding set, as they led 3-0 and 6-3 before a 5-0 WPI run gave the home team the momentum. Leading 8-7 after a kill by Chiodini, the Engineers took control with a 6-0 run en route to a 15-8 triumph. 

Notes
• Western New England hit .078 as a team, while WPI posted a .117 hitting percentage.
• Sibiskie's 18 digs are a new career-high, while Heffer's 13 kills match a career-best set last September against WPI.
• Thursday's contest marked Western New England's first five-set affair of the season.

Up Next
Western New England (3-6) travels to Framingham State for a tri-match on Saturday, before opening up its home schedule next Tuesday against Elms. WPI (3-5) will be on the road at Springfield on Saturday.