SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 28, 2026) – Behind a match-high 17 kills from Léa Barber and a career milestone from Madison Stauss, the Western New England women's volleyball team earned a three-set sweep of Dean College on Wednesday evening at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center. Stauss recorded her 500th career assist during the victory, helping the Golden Bears hit .281 as a team. After overcoming an early six-point deficit to take the opening set 25-23, Western New England controlled the remainder of the contest, winning the final two sets by identical 25-15 scores to secure the victory.

Records:

• Western New England: 6-15 (1-6 CNE)

• Dean College: 1-23 (1-10 GNAC)

How It Happened:

Set One (WNE 25, Dean 23)

• Dean College came out strong in the opening set, jumping ahead 5-2 before extending its advantage to 8-4. Western New England began to chip away at the deficit with back-to-back kills from Morgan Bonin, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 8-7. Dean responded with a 6-1 scoring run, highlighted by two kills from Maddy Seymour and a service ace from Lily Miller, to take its largest lead of the set at 14-8.

• The Golden Bears began their comeback with a Bonin kill and a service ace from Charlei Henkel, eventually trimming the deficit to 15-14. After Dean pushed its lead back to 17-14, Western New England put together a decisive five-point run behind the serving of Ellie Ross.

• Ross recorded consecutive service aces before Barber and Kendra Robayo added kills, giving WNE its first lead of the set at 19-17. The Bulldogs answered with three straight points to regain a 20-19 advantage, but Barber responded with a kill to even the score at 20.

• With the teams tied at 21, a Dean attack error and a kill from Henkel gave Western New England a 23-21 lead. Henkel added another kill to bring the Golden Bears to set point at 24-22 before Barber delivered the final kill of the frame, completing the comeback and securing the 25-23 victory.

• Western New England recorded 14 kills in the opening set while hitting .237, overcoming a six-point deficit to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two (WNE 25, Dean 15)

• The Bulldogs opened the second set with a 2-0 advantage, but the Golden Bears quickly responded with a service ace from Henkel and kills from Ross and Barber to take a 5-3 lead. Dean battled back to tie the score at five before the teams exchanged points through a 7-7 deadlock.

• Barber then delivered consecutive service aces to give Western New England a 9-7 advantage, putting the Golden Bears ahead for good. A kill from Robayo and a three-point run featuring a service ace from Olivia Long and a kill from Bonin pushed the lead to 13-9.

• Western New England continued to build momentum, using a four-point run highlighted by another Bonin kill and a Henkel service ace to extend its advantage to 17-10. Barber added a kill as the Golden Bears stretched the lead to 19-11.

• The Golden Bears scored three consecutive points to move ahead 22-13. Two additional kills from Barber helped bring WNE within one point of taking the set, and a Dean attack error closed out the 25-15 victory.

• Western New England was particularly efficient offensively in the second frame, recording 10 kills against just two attack errors for a match-best .364 hitting percentage, taking a commanding 2-0 advantage into the third set.

Set Three (WNE 25, Dean 15)

• Looking to complete the sweep, Western New England opened the third set with a kill from Olivia Long before Dean responded to take an early 3-2 advantage. Barber delivered a kill to tie the score at three, but the Bulldogs continued to battle, moving ahead 5-4.

• A Dean service error brought the score even at five, setting the stage for the Golden Bears to take control. Barber recorded two service aces during a three-point run to put WNE ahead 8-5. After Dean cut the deficit to 8-7, another Barber kill and a Dean attack error extended the Golden Bears' advantage to 10-8.

• Katie Garland then took over from the service line, recording three consecutive aces as part of a five-point run that pushed Western New England ahead 14-8. A block from Ross helped WNE reach 15 points before Barber added consecutive kills to extend the lead to 17-10.

• The Golden Bears continued to maintain their advantage, moving ahead 21-14 following a kill from Abby Krulis. Brianna Manes added a kill before Krulis recorded another to bring Western New England to match point. Barber delivered the final blow with her 17th kill of the evening, securing the 25-15 set victory and completing the three-set sweep.

• WNE finished the final frame with 12 kills and a .276 hitting percentage, closing out the match with a 3-0 victory.

Inside the Match:

• Barber led the Golden Bears' offensive attack with a match-high 17 kills on 37 attempts, hitting .297 while adding four service aces and seven digs. Her 21 points were also a match high.

• Stauss reached a career milestone during the victory, recording her 500th career assist. She led Western New England with 14 assists on the evening while adding five digs and a kill.

• Bonin put together an efficient offensive performance, recording five kills on nine attempts without an attack error for a team-best .556 hitting percentage among players with at least five attempts.

• Henkel contributed four kills, three service aces and five digs, playing an important role in Western New England's opening-set comeback.

• Ross contributed 10 assists, two kills, two service aces and a solo block.

• Evelyn Taylor anchored the Golden Bears' defensive effort with a match-high 15 digs while adding three assists and a service ace.

• Garland made an impact in the third set, recording three consecutive service aces during a pivotal scoring run while also contributing a solo block.

• Western New England finished with 36 kills, 32 assists, 14 service aces and 40 digs while hitting .281. Dean recorded 19 kills, seven service aces and 39 digs, finishing with a .039 hitting percentage.

• Seymour led Dean with six kills and seven digs, while Julia Dommel recorded a team-high 14 digs and three service aces.

Up Next:

Western New England returns to Conference of New England action on Saturday, October 31, when the Golden Bears travel to Wenham, Massachusetts, to take on Gordon College at 1 p.m.