SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 7, 2026) – The Western New England women's volleyball team concluded its 2026 season Saturday afternoon, falling to Roger Williams University in four sets (25-27, 15-25, 25-22, 18-25) in Conference of New England (CNE) action at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center. Celebrating Senior Day in front of its home crowd, the Golden Bears battled through a tightly contested opening set before responding with a third-set victory to extend the match. Léa Barber led Western New England with 19 kills and 16 digs, while Charlei Henkel contributed seven kills, 12 digs and two service aces.

Records:

• Western New England: 7-17 (2-8 CNE)

• Roger Williams: 11-16 (6-4 CNE)

How It Happened:

First Set: Roger Williams 27, Western New England 25

• Roger Williams opened the match with a service ace from Ava Lombardo, but Western New England quickly responded behind Léa Barber, who recorded two early kills to keep the Golden Bears within reach. A combined block from Kendra Robayo and Katie Garland helped tie the score at 3-3, while Barber added a service ace to give Western New England an early 5-4 advantage.
• The Hawks built an 8-5 lead behind consecutive kills from Peyton Felix and a block from Kaydence Fish and Angela West. Western New England continued to answer, with Barber and Garland contributing offensively to keep the contest close. A kill from Garland tied the set at 12-12 before another Barber kill evened the score at 13-13.
• Roger Williams established a 19-15 advantage midway through the set, but the Golden Bears continued battling. Western New England gradually trimmed the deficit, with the teams trading points late in the frame. The Golden Bears eventually erased the advantage and tied the score at 22-22, setting up a tightly contested finish.
• Western New England fought off a set point to even the score at 25-25, but Roger Williams secured the final two points behind kills from West and Fish to claim the opening set, 27-25. The Golden Bears finished the frame with 13 kills, while the Hawks recorded 19.

Second Set: Roger Williams 25, Western New England 15

• The Golden Bears opened the second set with a kill from Barber and took a 2-1 advantage before Roger Williams responded with consecutive service aces from Ava McGonagle to move ahead 5-3. Western New England remained competitive early, with Morgan Bonin and Barber providing kills to keep the Hawks within reach.
• Western New England battled back to tie the score at 10-10 following a Barber kill, but Roger Williams responded with a 3-1 stretch to regain control. The Golden Bears briefly cut the deficit to 13-12 before the Hawks began pulling away.
• Roger Williams put together a decisive 5-0 scoring run, extending its advantage from 13-12 to 18-12. Samantha Devino recorded a service ace during the stretch, while Felix contributed a kill to help the Hawks establish separation.
• The Hawks continued building their lead, moving ahead 21-13 behind consecutive kills from Felix. Western New England was unable to overcome the deficit, and Roger Williams closed the set with kills from West and Adele Kasper to secure a 25-15 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set: Western New England 25, Roger Williams 22

• Western New England entered the third set looking to extend the match and opened with a kill from Bonin. The teams exchanged points throughout the early stages before Roger Williams moved ahead 9-6. The Golden Bears responded with a strong offensive stretch to regain momentum.
• Trailing 9-7, Western New England put together five consecutive points behind the serving of Charlei Henkel. Henkel recorded a kill and back-to-back service aces during the run, while Barber added a kill and Bonin combined with Madison Stauss for a block. The surge gave the Golden Bears a 12-9 advantage.
• Roger Williams answered with five consecutive points of its own, reclaiming the lead at 14-12 behind a service ace from Lombardo. Western New England continued to fight, receiving kills from Barber and Robayo to remain within striking distance as the Hawks held a narrow advantage.
• The Golden Bears battled back late in the set, overcoming a 19-17 deficit to take a 20-19 lead. Roger Williams responded with consecutive kills from Felix to move ahead 22-20, putting Western New England in a difficult position.
• Western New England delivered its strongest finish of the afternoon, scoring the final five points to erase the two-point deficit. Henkel recorded a kill to begin the comeback, while the Golden Bears capitalized on three Roger Williams attack errors before Bonin delivered the set-winning kill. The 25-22 victory cut the Hawks' match advantage to 2-1 and kept Western New England alive.

Fourth Set: Roger Williams 25, Western New England 18

• Roger Williams opened the fourth set with a kill from West, but Western New England quickly answered behind Barber to tie the score at 1-1. The Hawks established an early 4-2 advantage before the Golden Bears continued battling, with Barber providing another kill to keep the deficit manageable.
• Roger Williams extended its lead to 8-3 behind a service ace from Felix and consecutive kills from West and Kasper. Western New England responded with three straight points, highlighted by a kill from Robayo, another from Barber and a service ace from Cassie Durocher, trimming the deficit to 8-6.
• The Hawks regained momentum and stretched their advantage to 16-9 behind a series of kills from Felix. Western New England continued fighting, receiving offensive contributions from Bonin, Stauss and Henkel, but Roger Williams maintained control of the set.
• Trailing 21-12, the Golden Bears put together a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to six points. Later in the set, Western New England scored three consecutive points to pull within 22-18, but Roger Williams responded with the final three points, including a match-clinching service ace from Devino, to secure the 25-18 victory.

Inside the Lines:

• Offensive Leaders: Léa Barber paced Western New England with 19 kills on 49 attempts, finishing with a .245 hitting percentage. Charlei Henkel added seven kills on 26 attempts, while Morgan Bonin contributed five kills on 16 swings. Katie Garland and Kendra Robayo each recorded three kills for the Golden Bears.
• Defensive Contributions: Barber completed a double-double with 16 digs to lead Western New England defensively. Henkel added 12 digs, while Abby Thomas and Evelyn Taylor each contributed seven. The Golden Bears finished with 59 digs as a team, compared with 53 for Roger Williams.
• Setting and Distribution: Thomas led Western New England with 22 assists, while Madison Stauss added eight and Taylor contributed five. Barber also recorded two assists, helping the Golden Bears finish with 40 assists across the four-set match.
• Serving and Blocking: Western New England recorded five service aces, led by Henkel with two. Barber, Garland and Durocher each contributed one ace. Bonin recorded one solo block and two block assists, while Garland, Robayo and Stauss each added two block assists.
• Team Statistics: The Golden Bears finished with 40 kills on 122 attempts and a .180 hitting percentage. Roger Williams recorded 62 kills on 149 attempts, hitting .275 as a team. Western New England's strongest offensive set came in the third frame, when the team registered 13 kills and a .242 hitting percentage. The Hawks were led by Felix, who finished with 25 kills, while West added 19.

Up Next:

Western New England concludes its 2026 season with a 7-17 overall record and a 2-8 mark in Conference of New England play. Saturday's Senior Day contest marked the Golden Bears' final match of the season, bringing their campaign to a close on their home court at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.