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9.5 VB
0
Western New Eng. WNE 1-2,0-0 CNE
3
Winner Occidental OXY 1-1,0-0 SCIAC
Western New Eng. WNE
1-2,0-0 CNE
0
Final
3
Occidental OXY
1-1,0-0 SCIAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Western New Eng. WNE 16 23 14 (0)
Occidental OXY 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Golden Bears Battle Occidental and Pomona-Pitzer Before Falling in Three Sets Twice

CLAREMONT, Calif. — The Western New England University women's volleyball team dropped 3-0 decisions to both Occidental College and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Saturday afternoon at Voelkel Gymnasium as the Tigers secured a 25-16, 25-23, 25-14 victory during the second game of WNE's Pacific Coast Classic and the Sagehens took the 25-13, 25-18, 27-25 victory in game three. 

Match 1 vs. Occidental College:

Records:

Western New England: 1-2, 0-0 CNE
Occidental College: 1-1, 0-0 SCIAC

How It Happened:

Set One — Occidental 25, WNE 16

  • Western New England came out of the gate looking to establish an early rhythm, with Léa Barber opening the scoring with a kill. Occidental responded quickly, using a 6-1 run to take an early advantage.
  • The Golden Bears settled in as the set progressed. Morgan Bonin and Barber provided kills, while Lauren Chagnon added a point as WNE worked to stay within reach. Occidental continued to hold the advantage, however, building a 15-6 lead midway through the opening set.
  • WNE answered with a three-point stretch that included a Bonin kill and a service ace from Chagnon. The Golden Bears continued to battle late in the set, getting kills from Katie Garland and Barber to pull within 21-16.
  • Occidental closed the door from there, scoring the final four points to take the opening set, 25-16, and move ahead 1-0 in the match.

Set Two — Occidental 25, WNE 23

  • The Golden Bears responded with their strongest offensive stretch of the match in the second set. WNE and Occidental traded points early before Barber recorded consecutive kills to help the Golden Bears take a 7-5 lead.
  • The Tigers answered with a run of their own and eventually regained the lead. Occidental pushed its advantage to 15-10, putting WNE in a hole in the middle portion of the set.
  • Rather than allowing the Tigers to pull away, the Golden Bears mounted a response. Chagnon started the push with a kill, while a pair of Occidental attack errors helped WNE cut the deficit to one point at 15-14.
  • The momentum continued to swing toward the Golden Bears. Hilarie Porcaro delivered a service ace to even the score at 16-16, and Barber followed with another kill to give WNE a 17-16 advantage.
  • Occidental regained the lead, but the Golden Bears remained within striking distance throughout the closing points. With the Tigers holding a 21-20 advantage, Laney Melvin recorded a service ace to bring the set level at 21-21.
  • The teams continued to trade points, but Occidental managed to create just enough separation late. The Tigers scored the final two points of the set to secure a 25-23 victory and take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

Set Three — Occidental 25, WNE 14

  • Occidental carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. The Golden Bears quickly responded, with Charlei Henkel and Olivia Long recording kills as WNE pulled within one point at 7-6.
  • The Tigers answered with their own run, scoring five straight points to extend their advantage to 12-6. WNE continued to compete through the middle portion of the set, with Melvin recording another service ace and Barber adding a kill as the Golden Bears attempted to close the gap.
  • Occidental maintained control, taking a 16-10 advantage before gradually extending its lead down the stretch. The Golden Bears continued to look for an opening, but the Tigers' advantage proved too much to overcome.
  • Occidental finished off the third set, 25-14, to complete the 3-0 sweep.

Key Performances

  • Barber led the Golden Bears with 12 kills and added 13 digs, finishing with 13.0 points. Ross recorded 13 assists and two kills, while Deana Baez contributed six assists and nine digs. Porcaro added 10 digs, while Garland and Bonin each finished with four kills.
  • Occidental was led offensively by Corinne Van Haeren with nine kills, while Anna Curtis-Revelle and Jasmine Shum each recorded seven. Eyleen Sanchez anchored the Tigers defensively with 20 digs, while Kendall Taylor distributed 14 assists.
  • As a team, WNE finished with 32 kills, 29 assists, five aces and 62 digs. Occidental totaled 34 kills, 30 assists, nine aces and 56 digs. The Tigers also held an advantage at the net, recording eight blocks compared to two for the Golden Bears. Occidental hit .207 for the match, while WNE finished at .083.

Match 2 vs. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges:

Records:

Western New England: 1-3, 0-0 CNE
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges: 3-2, 0-0 SCIAC

How It Happened:

Set One — Pomona-Pitzer 25, WNE 13

  • Pomona-Pitzer established an early advantage, opening the match with five consecutive points before Western New England answered. The Golden Bears settled in and trimmed the deficit to 5-3 before a pair of Sagehen points pushed the hosts back in front by four.
  • WNE continued to compete through the middle portion of the set. A kill from Brianna Manes helped the Golden Bears pull within 10-8, while kills from Charlei Henkel and another Manes point kept WNE within reach.
  • Pomona-Pitzer, however, began to create separation late in the frame. The Sagehens used a strong offensive stretch to move from an 11-10 advantage to a 17-10 lead. WNE responded with a kill from Manes and later received a kill from Léa Barber and a service ace from Barber to make it 20-13.
  • The hosts closed the set by scoring the final five points, taking the opening frame, 25-13. Pomona-Pitzer hit .441 in the set, recording 17 kills on 34 attacks with only two errors.

Set Two — Pomona-Pitzer 25, WNE 18

  • The Golden Bears opened the second set with early energy, building a 7-3 advantage after a service ace from Ellie Ross and kills from Barber and Manes. Pomona-Pitzer quickly answered, cutting into the deficit and eventually pulling even at 9-9.
  • The Sagehens took control of the middle portion of the set, using a series of kills and service pressure to build an 18-11 lead. WNE continued to battle, getting kills from Manes and Barber as the Golden Bears looked to close the gap.
  • A three-point stretch helped WNE pull within 21-17. Barber contributed an attacking point during the run, while Pomona-Pitzer also committed an attack error. The Sagehens responded with two straight points before WNE answered with another point from Manes to make it 23-18.
  • Pomona-Pitzer finished the set with the final two points, taking a 25-18 victory and moving within one set of completing the sweep.

Set Three — Pomona-Pitzer 27, WNE 25

  • The Golden Bears saved their most competitive set for last.
  • WNE and Pomona-Pitzer traded points throughout the opening stages, with neither side able to establish more than a small advantage. The Golden Bears held leads at 4-3, 6-5 and 10-8 before the Sagehens responded.
  • Pomona-Pitzer built a 13-10 lead, but WNE answered with a stretch that brought the Golden Bears back into the set. Kills from Manes and Barber helped WNE stay within striking distance, and the Golden Bears eventually evened the score at 13-13.
  • The teams continued to exchange points, with neither side able to pull away. Pomona-Pitzer moved ahead 18-16, but WNE responded with a service ace from Henkel and a kill from Barber to stay within one. Another Golden Bear point brought WNE within 20-19.
  • Late in the set, the Golden Bears continued to fight. Pomona-Pitzer held a 22-19 advantage before WNE scored three of the next four points, including another Barber kill, to make it 23-22. WNE then tied the set before the Sagehens regained a one-point edge.
  • The Golden Bears reached set point at 25-24 following a kill from Abby Thomas, but Pomona-Pitzer answered to extend the frame. The Sagehens ultimately secured the final two points, taking the third set, 27-25, and completing the three-set sweep.

Key Performances:

  • Barber paced the Golden Bears with 10 kills, adding seven digs, one service ace and one block for 11.5 points. Manes provided an efficient offensive performance with eight kills on 12 attacks, committing no errors for a .667 hitting percentage.
  • Madison Stauss directed the WNE offense with 13 assists, while Evelyn Taylor led the Golden Bears defensively with nine digs. Hilarie Porcaro added eight digs, and Henkel finished with six digs and one service ace.
  • Pomona-Pitzer was led by Kayla Thienprasiddhi, who recorded a match-high 20 kills on 35 attacks while hitting .429. Ella Mesard added eight kills, while CC Porter finished with seven. Paige Butler distributed 26 assists, and Corrina Benson led the Sagehens with 14 digs.
  • As a team, Pomona-Pitzer held advantages in kills, 53-24, hitting percentage, .268-.076, assists, 45-22, aces, 6-3, blocks, 6-2, and digs, 57-46. The Sagehens' offensive efficiency proved particularly important, as Pomona-Pitzer finished with 53 kills on 127 attacks compared to 24 kills on 105 attacks for the Golden Bears.
  • The contest marked the first meeting between the programs, with Pomona-Pitzer taking a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears return to action Saturday, Sept. 12, when they travel to Utica, N.Y., to take on SUNY Potsdam at 2 p.m. WNE will then face SUNY Polytechnic Institute at 4 p.m.

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