BOSTON, Mass. (November 12, 2024) – The Western New England women's volleyball team needed just three sets to secure a road victory in the opening round of the Conference of New England tournament on Tuesday night, defeating the hosting Rams of Suffolk University, the fourth seed in the tournament, to advance to Thursday night's CNE semifinal road match. Léa Barber (15 kills) and Yemayma Molina (11 kills, .417% attack) led the way for Western New England on their respective career nights.

Records:

• No. 5 Western New England: 20-7
• No. 4 Suffolk University: 23-6

How it Happened:

In the CNE first-round tournament game, the Golden Bears got off to a slow start, with the hosting Rams scoring six of the first seven points, WNE's lone point coming on a Suffolk service error. Suffolk collected three early service aces, but the Golden Bears quickly made a comeback, scoring the next six points after a timeout. Early kills from Isabelle Petty, Alissa Hawes, and Ava Cariddi helped Western New England fight back, taking their first lead at 7-6. The back-and-forth opening set saw Suffolk jump ahead 10-8, capitalizing on a Golden Bears attacking error. Léa Barber then scored two straight kills on set assists from Taylor Geist to retake the lead, 13-12. The teams tied at 20-all before Western New England made a decisive 3-0 run to take a 23-20 lead. Petty added two straight kills, while Hawes recorded WNE's only service ace of the set, giving the Golden Bears a three-point edge, just two points away from taking the opening set. Suffolk responded with three points to tie at 23. Rachel Critz scored for the Golden Bears, giving them set point; however, Suffolk picked up the next two points, creating a set point opportunity for the home team. Neither team could clinch the win until Western New England saved three more set points and scored the final three points, with kills from Hawes and Barber and a set-ending block from Petty and Critz to win 31-29, taking a 1-0 match lead. In the opening set, Western New England tallied 20 kills on their 31 points, hitting .234% on 47 attacks, while Suffolk led with seven service aces but only 12 kills.

Alissa Hawes began the second set with a kill for the Golden Bears, with both teams staying close through the first six points, tying at three. Suffolk's biggest lead of the set came at 8-5 on a WNE service error. The Golden Bears then scored five straight points as Yemayma Molina delivered two kills and an assisted block, giving WNE a 10-8 lead. Suffolk fought back to tie at 12 with a McKenna Keowen kill, but WNE responded, with Léa Barber adding a kill. Despite a service error on their rally, the Golden Bears scored seven consecutive points, securing their largest lead of the night at 19-13. Kills from Barber and Molina extended the lead further. Suffolk closed the gap to 21-21, but the Golden Bears regained control and closed out the set with four points, including two kills from Hawes and two Suffolk errors, winning 25-22 to go up 2-0 in the match. WNE hit .130% in the second set, with 13 kills on 46 attacks and two blocks.

Western New England scored the first two points of the third set, with Alissa Hawes earning an early kill on another Geist assist. WNE led 3-1 before Suffolk took its first lead at 5-4. The teams battled closely, with Suffolk taking an 8-7 lead on a WNE error. WNE then scored five straight points, including kills from Molina and Barber, to lead 12-8. The Golden Bears maintained a 14-10 lead, with more kills from Molina and Petty, but Suffolk tied the set at 16. WNE pulled away again, leading 21-17 after Molina's fifth kill, securing the lead for good. As in the previous sets, WNE closed the third with the final three points, with Hawes scoring the match-winning kill for a 25-19 victory and a 3-0 match win. This win advances Western New England to the CNE Semifinals for the fourth straight season.

Inside the Lines:

• Léa Barber led with 15 kills, hitting .114%. Her 15 kills are a career high.
• Yemayma Molina had a career night, with 11 kills on 24 attacks, hitting .417%, a personal best. She also recorded three blocks and two digs.
• Alissa Hawes finished with ten kills on 41 attacks and 11 digs.
• Taylor Geist contributed 38 assists and one critical kill.
• The Golden Bears snapped a five-match losing streak to the Rams and defeated Suffolk on the road for the first time since 2005, which was also the last time they won 3-0 against Suffolk.
• WNE has now advanced to the CNE Semifinals for four consecutive seasons.

Coaches Corner:

• When asked about some of the things he liked from his team tonight, Head Coach Matt Lein gave his squad much credit for their performance and hopes to bring a lot of the same on Thursday night. "Yeah I think we did a lot of great things tonight. I think it started at the service line. Although we only had 1 ace, we minimized our errors and served aggressively to keep them out of system and keep them from using their weapons. We also played amazing defense. Becca (Mayer) was everywhere tonight and gave us some great opportunities in long rallies. Last, our offense got it done. For us to have 47 kills in 3 sets is awesome and it was a team effort in that regard."

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England, the fifth seed in the tournament, will face top-seeded Endicott College on Thursday, November 12, at 7:00 PM for a chance to advance to the CNE Championship match.