Seahawks snap Colonials winning streak; extend their own to five

SEAHAWK WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL RESULTS

Salve Regina 3, Western Conn. St. 2
Newport, R.I.  - Rodgers Recreation Center
Friday, September 16, 2016

Summary
The Salve Regina University women's volleyball team needed five sets to defeat Western Connecticut State University in a thrilling non-conference match at the Rodgers Recreation Center Friday evening.

Series and Streaks
This was the fourth meeting all-time between the teams. The series is now tied 2-2. Salve Regina has now won five matches in a row while the Colonials have their eight-game streak snapped, dropping their first match since their season opener versus Manhattanville.

Three Stars of the Match
1 – Salve Regina sophomore Cassidy Trablicy (Phoenix, Ariz.) - led the Seahawks with 23 kills and was second on the team in digs with 19 to go along with three assists, an ace and a block.
2 – Western Connectictut senior Karissa Smith (Bristol, Conn.) - had a match-high 26 kills and added eight digs.
3 – Western Connecticut senior Cady Cordes (Fallon, Nev.) had a match-high 30 digs as well as recording 13 kills, two aces, and a block.

Turning Point
The fifth set began as every other set had; neck and neck. The Colonials had a 5-4 advantage after a quick 3-0 run erased a 4-2 Seahawks lead.  Annie Donahue (Chelmsford, Mass.)knocked in her third kill of the match to tie the set 5-5 bringing Morgan VanderBaan (Doglas, Mass.) to the service stripe. VanderBaan's serves produced two errors from the opposition and kills from Trablicy and Donahue gave the Seahawks a 9-5 lead. The Colonials called for time but the damage was done. The five to nothing run had given the Seahawks mometum and a small enough cushion. The Seahawks played the Colonials even the rest of the way to win the set 15-10 and earn their third 3-2 match victory this season.

Key Stat
In such a tightly contested match every point matters. The Seahawks committed 23 while errors while the Colonials committed 30. That was seven free points for the Seahawks.

Quick Hits

• The Seahawks led 24-21 in the third set and had set-point five times, but could not close the door on the Colonials who battled back to eventually take the set 28-26. The set victory gave the visitors momentum as the Seahawks saw a set they should have won disappear. As every set had been the fourth was neck and neck. Tied 9-9 the Seahawks went on a 7-2 run, capped by two errors from the Colonials forcing a timeout from Western Connecticut head coach Don Ferguson. A kill from Karissa Smith brought the Colonial back within three, 16-13, but Smith committed an error on the following serve. The error followed by kills from Annie Donahue and Trablicy forcing another timeout for the visitors. The Seahawks never let the Colonial get closer than three points, and rode their lead to a set four victory forcing the deciding fifth frame.
• The Seahawks have played in three five-set matches this season with a 3-0 record in those contests.
• Both Samantha Salwa (Ellington, Conn.) for the Seahawks and Danielle Kamisnky (Southington, Conn.) for the Colonials recorded 57 assists in the match.
• Samantha Higgins (Coventry, R.I.) had a match-high five blocked shots, three solo and two assisted. She now has 31 blocks on the season to lead the Seahawks.

Next up

Salve Regina (7-3) – Tuesday, Sep. 20 at Framingham St., 7 p.m.
Western Conn. St. (8-2) – Saturday, Sep. 17 at UMass Boston, 1 p.m.