WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (September 23, 2026) – The Western New England University women's volleyball team battled the University of Hartford through a tightly contested opening set on Wednesday evening before the Hawks pulled away over the final two frames to earn a 3-0 victory. Hartford took the match by set scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-11, handing the Golden Bears their first conference loss of the season.
Records:
Western New England: 3-8 (0-1)
University of Hartford: 8-3 (1-0)
How It Happened:
Set One: Hartford 25, Western New England 23
- The two teams traded points throughout the opening stages of the match, reaching a 6-6 tie before Western New England put together the first extended run. Jordan Murphy recorded three kills during a five-point stretch for the Golden Bears, while Aribella Stephens added two service aces to help WNE take an 11-6 advantage.
- Hartford began working its way back into the set and eventually trimmed the Golden Bears' advantage to 17-16. The Hawks then pulled even at 18-18 before an Evelyn Taylor service ace briefly put Western New England back in front, 19-18.
- The teams went point-for-point down the stretch, drawing even at 19-19, 20-20, 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23. Hartford finally broke the deadlock by scoring the final two points, using a service ace followed by a kill to take the opening set, 25-23.
Set Two: Hartford 25, Western New England 18
- Neither team could create separation at the start of the second set, with the score tied at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5. Hartford then began to establish an advantage, scoring four of the next five points to move ahead 9-6.
- The Hawks extended their lead to 12-7 before Western New England responded with three consecutive points. A Hartford attack error was followed by another attack error forced by a block from Brianna Manes and Ellie Ross, bringing the Golden Bears to within 12-10.
- Hartford answered WNE's push by rebuilding its advantage to 16-11 and later stretching the margin to 20-14. The Golden Bears continued to battle, getting a Lauren Chagnon service ace before an Olivia Long kill brought WNE within 21-17.
- The Hawks closed strongly from there, scoring four of the final five points to secure the second set, 25-18, and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Set Three: Hartford 25, Western New England 11
- Hartford seized control early in the third set, scoring eight of the first nine points to build an 8-1 advantage. The Golden Bears' lone point during the stretch came on a Brianna Manes kill.
- Western New England attempted to work its way back into the set, with kills from Charlei Henkel, Madison Stauss and Olivia Long helping cut Hartford's lead to 13-7.
- Hartford responded by extending its advantage to 17-9. Henkel answered with another kill for the Golden Bears to make it 17-10, but the Hawks followed with seven unanswered points to reach match point at 24-10.
- Henkel kept the Golden Bears alive with a kill at 24-11 before Hartford finished the set on the ensuing point, taking the third 25-11 and completing the 3-0 victory.
Key Performances:
- Charlei Henkel led Western New England with five kills while adding a service ace and three digs, finishing with a team-high six points.
- Olivia Long turned in an efficient attacking performance, recording four kills without an error on 14 attempts for a team-best .286 hitting percentage among Golden Bears with at least 10 attacks.
- Brianna Manes contributed four kills and a block assist, while Morgan Bonin also finished with four kills for Western New England.
- Madison Stauss recorded 10 assists to lead WNE while also collecting three kills on five attempts for a .600 hitting percentage. Ellie Ross added six assists and a block assist.
- Lauren Chagnon led the Golden Bears defensively with seven digs and added a service ace, while Evelyn Taylor finished with six digs and an ace.
- As a team, Western New England produced its strongest offensive set in the opener, hitting .292 with nine kills and just two attack errors, helping the Golden Bears push Hartford to a 25-23 decision.
Up Next:
Western New England returns to the road on Saturday, September 26, traveling to New London, New Hampshire, for a 4 p.m. match against Colby-Sawyer College.
