SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 31, 2025) -  The Western New England women's volleyball team celebrated its Senior Day prior to the first serve of Friday night's Conference of New England match, honoring Leah Warren, Rachel Critz, and Ariana Barbosa prior to the match that saw the visiting Gulls of Endicott College take a 3-0 sweep victory over the Golden Bears. 

Records:

• Western New England: 9-16, 2-6 CNE
• Endicott College: 13-11, 7-1 CNE 

How it Happened:

First Set:

• Endicott poured it on the Golden Bears early in the opening set, taking the first 11 points of the set to lead 11-0. Léa Barber was the first player to get WNE a kill in the match. WNE ripped off three points in a row, as Charlei Henkel picked up a kill while Endicott's Ava Grace Dresbeck put two balls into the net, as WNE got back within seven, 14-7. 
• Endicott ran out with another run, picking up six points in a row, leading 20-7. Western New England did all they could to limit Endicott's chances, but two points in a row for the Gulls gave EC a 25-11 opening set victory. 
• The Gulls picked up 18 kills in the opening set while the Golden Bears managed just five of their own. 

Second Set:

• A similar start for the Gulls in the set saw WNE fall behind 6-0 early. Hadley Helenbrook put down the opening two kills for the Gulls to start the run. Endicott quickly went ahead 11-2 before the Golden Bears got back within seven following kills from Barber and Ariana Barbosa. 
• Five straight following for Endicott nearly sealed the set, as their lead grew to double-digits. Western New England fought back for a moment, getting a block from Deana Baez and Rachel Critz and then a kill from Charlei Henkel, but the Gulls ended the set with three straight points, finished off on a kill from Hannah Maguire, giving Endicott a 25-14 second set victory and 2-0 lead in the match. 
• WNE had just seven kills and picked up eight errors in the set. The Gulls had 14 kills and notched half the amount of errors as WNE. 

Third Set:

• Looking for a better start to the set, Western New England did not get one, seeing the Gulls soar to a quick 5-0 lead. Léa Barber stopped the run with a kill, followed by an attacking error from Endicott, putting WNE behind by three, 5-2. The set stayed close, with Western New England getting back within two following a kill from Madison Stauss, seeing the blue and gold trail, 8-6. 
• From there, Endicott took over with the next six and eight of the next nine to put the set out of reach. Hannah Maguire continued to lead the Gulls in set assists and also put down a service ace in that set that gave the visitors a 16-7 lead. Four straight points from WNE saw senior Leah Warren put down a kill and Charlei Henkel served up an ace, putting the Golden Bears behind by five, 16-11. Western New England nearly roared all the way back after EC picked up a 19-12 lead, scoring the next six points. 
• After the Golden Bears trailed by just two, Endicott dropped in the next four to ice the match and came away with a 25-19 victory, dropping the Golden Bears in straight sets. WNE picked up eight kills, a match high, in the set, while Endicott had 13.

Inside the Lines:

• Léa Barber led WNE with 11 kills, hitting .079 for the match. Barber had eight digs and a block assist in the match. 
• Endicott was led by Hadley Helenbrook, who dropped down 11 kills and had just two errors. 
• EC setter Hannah Maguire picked up six kills and 27 set assists to lead the way for the Gulls. 
• Western New England hit just .022 for the match overall while Endicott handled the offense with a .313 attack percentage and 45 kills overall. 
• Prior to the match, WNE honored seniors Leah Warren, Rachel Critz, and Ariana Barbosa. Thank you for all your contributions to WNE!

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE plays its final home match of the regular season on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:00 PM, hosting Suffolk University in CNE action.