SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 30, 2025) – The Western New England women's volleyball team earned a thrilling five-set victory over the Bison of Nichols College on Tuesday afternoon, overcoming a first-set deficit to battle back in five sets for their first Conference of New England victory of the season, winning 3-2. 

Records:

• Western New England: 6-9, 1-1 CNE
• Nichols College: 6-10, 1-1 CNE

How it Happened:

First Set:

• The Bison came out soaring in the opening set, picking up an early kill from Mairead Frost, then going on two runs, one four-point streak, followed by a five-point streak, to take an 11-2 lead over WNE. Rachel Critz and Léa Barber earned a block in an attempt to rally the Golden Bears, but the Bison continued to answer, leading 17-6. 
• The Golden Bears picked up five of six points, including three straight kills from Léa Barber on assists from Deana Baez, while Rachel Critz dropped down a kill for WNE, getting back within six, 19-13. From there, Nichols ripped off six of the final nine points of the set and came around with a 25-16 victory in the opening set. 
• 12 of WNE's 16 points came as kills as the Golden Bears did hit .267, but five Nichols service aces aided the Bison to an opening set win. 

Second Set:

• Western New England bounced back in the second set, not allowing Nichols to build an early lead like they had in the first set. Adrionne Sharp produced a kill and a block to open the set while Katie Garland was on the board with a kill following. The set stayed close, with Nichols evening the match at ten following three-straight points. 
• From there, WNE ripped off six straight, getting production from Sharp, Barber, and Charlei Henkel. WNE took a 16-10 lead, but Nichols stayed close, coming up with six of the next nine again, getting back within three, 19-16, and then within two on a kill from Gabrielle McKayla, trailing 20-18. 
• The blue and gold finished off the second set with four kills on five points, with Sharp, Barber, and Henkel aiding the Golden Bears. 13 kills and a .235 attacking percentage evened the match for Western New England as the Golden Bears claimed a 25-21 second-set victory. 

Third Set:

• With a 1-1 stalemate, Western New England jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the third set, opening with three kills, two from Léa Barber and another from Charlei Henkel to give WNE the early lead. Following a point from the Bison, Western New England scored eight of the next nine points to lead by to take their first double-digit lead, 15-5. 
• Nichols responded following a timeout with the next four points in a row and six of the next seven to get right back into the match, trailing 16-11. Angelina Steiger provided a spark off the bench for Nichols, while Alyssa Morse continued her steady attack for the green. 
• Western New England punched back late in the set, opening up a nine-point lead on a service error from Nichols, a kill from Henkel, and a service ace from Barber. Morgan Bonin dropped in a kill from Abby Thomas to end the set in favor of the Golden Bears as Western New England took a 25-16 win, leading 2-1 in the match. 
• WNE hit just .100 from the floor and had four service errors in the set, but saw Nichols drop just four kills in the set to lead heading into the fourth set. 

Fourth Set:

• Looking to force a deciding set, Nichols got out to a 5-3 lead in the fourth set, taking advantage of three WNE errors while getting a kill from Alyssa Morse on an assist from Ruby St. Onge. The Bison continued to score, ripping off eight of nine points to take a 10-4 lead. 
• WNE looked to be getting back into the set when Léa Barber dropped in a kill and a service ace, but Nichols took over again with the next six points to jet out to an 11-point lead, 17-6. As Western New England tried to get back into the set, the Bison had an answer to all the little runs from the Golden Bears and wrapped up the set with the final three points to come up with a 25-16 win, forcing a deciding fifth set. 
• The Bison dropped in ten kills and had just a pair of attacking errors. WNE was hurt by ten attacking errors in the set and just eight kills.  

Fifth Set:

• Nichols grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the final set of the match before WNE responded with three in a row, thanks to a Katie Garland kill and a Nichols attack error.
• With the set tied at six, WNE picked up three straight points, a kill from Rachel Critz, and two errors from Nichols to lead 9-6. The Bison collected the next two points to keep the set close before Léa Barber smacked down a kill and Lauren Chagnon delivered a service ace, giving WNE a 13-10 lead. 
• The Bison staved off match point once but could not do it a second time as Deana Baez set up Rachel Critz for one final putaway, handing Western New England a 15-12 fifth set win and a 3-2 match victory. Six of WNE's 15 points came on attacking errors in the set, while six more came on kills. 

Inside the Lines:

• Sophomore sensation Léa Barber dropped down 21 kills in the match to lead Western New England, hitting .141 from the floor. Barber also had three service aces, a block assist, and 19 digs in the match. 
• All of Rachel Critz, Adrionne Sharp, and Charlei Henkel collected seven kills in the match. Henkel picked up 11 digs for the Golden Bears. 
• Lauren Chagnon was second on the team with 14 digs. The York, Maine native also picked up four set assists. 
• As a team, WNE hit .123% from the floor on Tuesday night, picking up 49 kills. 
• Nichols was led by Alyssa Morse, who dropped 14 kills but had 11 attacking errors. Mairead Frost was also in double-digits in kills with 11 for the Bison. 
• This is the third time in 11 meetings in which the Golden Bears have gone the distance with the Bison. WNE is now 2-1 in those three matches. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The blue and gold return to the court quickly, hosting Colby-Sawyer College on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:00 PM from the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.