Golden Bears rally to stun Seahawks 3-2

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 11, 2016) – The Western New England University volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 set deficit to earn a 3-2 (21-25, 14-25, 25-23, 27-25, 15-13) comeback victory over Salve Regina University this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
• Senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.) matched her career-high with 42 assists while also recording 17 digs and seven kills.
• Junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.) finished with ten kills and matched her career-high with five blocks (three solo).
• Junor libero Brianna Roath (Jackson, N.J.) established a new career-high with 42 digs, 18 more than her previous high of 24.
• Junior outside hitter Emmaline Chiodini (Saint Louis, Mo.) registered nine kills and 11 digs.

• For Salve Regina, freshman middle blocker Annie Donahue (Chelmsford, Mass.) hit .244 with a match-high 16 kills, four blocks (one solo) and two digs.
• Sophomore setter Erin Proctor (Canton, Mass.) dished out 44 assists to go with 17 digs, three kills, two aces and two block assists.

Match Review
• Western New England made a combined 22 attack errors and recorded just 19 kills over the first two sets, falling into a 2-0 hole with losses in both frames.
• The Golden Bears bounced back in the third set, using an early 6-0 run to open up a 10-6 lead. Western New England led by five (21-16) following a Salve Regina attack error later in the frame, but the Seahawks battled back to tie the score at 23. The Golden Bears would stay alive in the match by winning the final two points with the help of an attack error by Donahue and a bad set by Proctor.
• In the tightly contested fourth frame, Western New England built up a 19-13 lead before surrendering six straight points as Salve Regina fought back to tie it at 19. The Golden Bears came through in the clutch for the second straight set, however, winning the final two points to force a decisive fifth frame.
• The final set featured seven ties, including 10-10, before the Golden Bears were able to gain some separation with a 4-1 run. The Seahawks cut their deficit to one (14-13), forcing a Western New England timeout, but freshman outside hitter Ashley Matthews (Salem, N.H.) slammed down a kill to cap the comeback and seal the victory.

Notes
• Both of Leuck's 42-assist performances have come in five-set matches – she first reached the mark in Western New England's 3-2 loss to WPI on September 1.
• The Golden Bears are now 9-2 at the Alumni Healthful Living Center this fall.
• The two teams combined for 243 digs in the five-set match.
• Junior outside hitter Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.) notched her third double-double of the season with 11 kills and 17 digs.

Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday, as Western New England (13-7, 4-1 CCC) travels to Westfield State, and Salve Regina (11-9, 1-4 CCC) hits the road for a contest at Bridgewater State.