Women’s Volleyball Goes Three for Three

Women’s Volleyball Goes Three for Three

Kendal Lariviere

For The Clock

klariviere@plymouth.edu

Over the past week, the PSU Women’s Volleyball team has won all three of their games, including their first Little East Conference matchup. On Saturday, the team travelled to Eastern Connecticut State University to take on their fellow LEC competitors as a part of a double-header that also featured a game against non-conference opponent Nichols College. The ladies also traveled to Lasell College on Tuesday, where they secured their third victory of the week. With these wins, the Panthers have racked up a four-game winning streak and get off to a strong start in conference play.

The LEC matchup on Saturday against ECSU featured some hardfought play by both teams, as Plymouth took the the first set and Eastern Connecticut took the second, before the Panthers regained control to claim victory in the third and fourth sets, securing a “W” for the match. The scores of the sets were: 25-13, 19-25, 25-11, 25-12. It was a combined effort offensively for PSU, with three players leading the team on attack. Seniors Dani Tabor (Seattle, WA) and Kayla Wyland (Melrose, MA) racked up 12 kills each, and junior Claire Sporer (Medford, OR) had 11 kills. Junior Brenna Peruch (Cave Creek, AZ) claimed a team-high of 18 digs on defense. Classmate Megan Bailey (Canterbury, NH) had 10 digs and sophomore Alisha Flanagan (Milton, NH) posted nine digs. Seniors Brianna Wojtas (Salem, NH) and Mikki Taffe (Sandown, NH) had three defensive blocks each, while Wyland and Sporer contributed with two blocks apiece. This victory over ECSU gave the Panthers a 1-0 record in Little East Conference play.

Following their LEC victory on Saturday, PSU claimed an early lead during the first set against the firstyear program of Nichols College and continued their momentum throughout the match, sweeping the Bison in just three sets (25-7, 25-15, 25-10). Taffe and Wojtas led the team on offense, knocking down nine kills and seven kills, respectively. Freshman Alexis Bowers (Port St. Lucie, FL) led the team defensively with eight digs, while junior Grace Sporer (Medford, OR) followed close behind with seven digs. With the win, the Panthers were able to complete their two-for-two in Saturday’s doubleheader.

On Tuesday evening, the Panthers were on the road again at Lasell College. PSU was able to clinch yet another win over the non-conference competitor, sweeping them in three sets (25-19, 25-11, 25-21). Taffe and Claire Sporer both accounted for seven kills each, while Wyland posted six kills. This combined 20 kills allowed the three players to lead the team offensively. Peruch and Flanagan led the team on defense with seven digs and six digs, respectively, as Taffe and Claire Sporer contributed with a combined six blocks. Bailey helped move the game along, posting 22 assists throughout the match.

With the three wins, Plymouth improves to 7-5 overall (1-0 LEC). The Panthers look to continue their winning streak as they travel to Western Connecticut State University this weekend for a double header that includes a game versus the Little East Conference hosts and a nonconference matchup with Worcester State University.