Western New England University

UTICA, N.Y. (September 12, 2026) – The Western New England women's volleyball team eased its way to victory on Saturday afternoon in a tri-match, sweeping both the Bears of SUNY Potsdam and the Wildcats of SUNY Polytechnic Institute in straight sets. 

Records:

• Western New England: 3-3
• SUNY Potsdam: 2-5
• SUNY Poly: 0-7

How it Happened (vs. SUNY Potsdam):

Set 1:

• Potsdam picked up the first two points of the opening set before WNE roared back with the next six, seeing Hilarie Porcaro pick up a service ace, while Léa Barber and Brianna Manes had early kills for WNE. 
• The Golden Bears continued to pile it on the Bears early in the match, leading 15-6 at the midway point, seeing Laney Melvin contributing with back-to-back service aces to pace the Blue and Gold. 
• Deana Baez picked up a kill late in the opening set, while Léa Barber dropped down the final two points of the set, giving the Golden Bears a 25-10 opening set victory. 

Set 2:

• Four of the first five points belonged to WNE, with Ellie Ross and Brianna Manes combining for a block at the net, while Barber continued her work on offense. 
• Potsdam brought the score back within two following a kill from Aslee Hagerman, but the Golden Bears responded with another block at the end from Ross and Morgan Bonin, seeing WNE take a 14-10 lead.
• The Golden Bears never led Potsdam back into the second set, finishing off the set with a kill from Morgan Bonin, giving WNE a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Set 3:

• Potsdam opened the third set with seven of the first ten points overall to put a scare into the Golden Bears. Back-to-back service aces from Meredith Harden helped the Bears, but Western New England fought back quickly. 
• After Potsdam took a 14-11 lead, the next six points of the set belonged to WNE, including three straight aces from Léa Barber, who continued to put up numbers for WNE. 
• The Golden Bears stormed back to take a 25-20 victory in the third set, sweeping Potsdam by a final score of 3-0. 

Inside the Lines:

• Léa Barber picked up 15 kills on 39 attacks in the victory, also coming away with five service aces and seven digs. 
• Brianna Manes notched eight kills and just two errors, hitting .500 for the match. 
• Hilarie Porcaro led WNE with 12 digs in the match. 
• Ellie Ross collected 17 set assists, while Madison Stauss picked up ten. 

How it Happened (vs. SUNY Poly):

Set 1:

• The teams traded points early before Poly took a 6-5 lead, but WNE answered with kills from Abby Krulis and Léa Barber, followed by consecutive Barber aces, to take a 10-6 advantage.
• Poly pulled within one, 11-10, but WNE regained control behind an ace from Laney Melvin, a Charlei Henkel kill, and a block from Ross and Morgan Bonin, eventually opening an 18-14 lead.
• WNE continued to pull away as Barber and Henkel provided key kills, with Barber adding an ace before Henkel closed out the set, 25-17.

Set 2:

• After Poly scored first, WNE quickly took control with a Morgan Bonin kill, a block from Brianna Manes and Sage Pycz, and a Barber kill before Barber served three consecutive aces to put the Golden Bears ahead 9-3.
• SUNY Poly trimmed the margin to 15-10, but WNE responded with a Henkel kill, a block-induced attack error, and a Barber kill to push the advantage to 18-10.
• WNE put the set away with a Porcaro ace, a Barber-Manes block and two Poly attack errors, closing out the 25-12 victory and taking a 2-0 match lead.

Set 3:

• Poly took an early 1-0 lead, but WNE responded with a Manes kill and a Barber-Manes block before Barber served two aces and Melvin added another, helping the Golden Bears build an 11-4 advantage.
• The Wildcats cut the deficit to 11-7, but WNE answered with a Bonin kill, a block from Bonin and Porcaro, and a Henkel kill to establish a 15-7 lead before maintaining a 20-10 advantage.
• Poly made one final push to cut the lead to 20-12, but WNE answered with a Barber-Manes block and two Poly errors before closing out the sweep, 25-15.

Inside the Lines:

• Léa Barber led WNE with 12 kills on 28 attacks, hitting .321 for the match, also collecting five aces and six digs. 
• Hilarie Porcaro led WNE with 18 digs in the match. 
• Ellie Ross, Madison Stauss, and Abby Thomas contributed with a combined 23 set assists in the win. 
• The Golden Bears hit .281 as a team in the match, picking up just eight errors. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England hosts Westfield State University on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 PM in the first home match of the season.