HENNIKER, N.H.—The New England College volleyball team had its best hitting performance (.384) of the season in its 3-0 win over the Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Set scores were 25-14, 25-14, and 25-18.
The win brings the Pilgrims to 7-14 on the season, while the Monks fall to 5-11.
NEC LEADERS
The Pilgrims received a match-high 13 kills and four aces from freshman Tihani Ehia (Kaneohe, Hawaii). Sophomore Dreka Griffin (Calera, Ala.) had 11 kills and hit over .500 on the day, while Kennedy Somavia (Red Bluff, Calif.) added six kills.
Freshman setter Maggie Dadmun (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) aided the offense with 20 assists.
Defensively, Emma Kowalka (Kalispell, Mont.) had 11 digs.
SJC LEADERS
The Monks totaled 18 kills as a team, led by Kelsey Bickford with six. Nicole Baron and Erin Olson added three kills each.
Defensively, Jennelle Thompson recorded 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pilgrims opened the first two sets with big offensive runs to force the Monks into timeouts. NEC recorded 13 kills and just three errors in the first en route to the victory.
NEC had a 14-kill, one-error performance in the second set for a set hitting percentage of .591. They added an additional 14 kills and four errors in the third set to compile a .384 match hitting percentage, the best of the season for the Pilgrims.
Additionally, NEC recorded the most kills in a three-set match since their inaugural season a year ago, when they set the program record of 42 against Castleton.
The Monks had eight kills in the third set and kept the score close for a majority of the frame.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pilgrims will be back in action on Saturday when they host Elms College at 1:00 p.m. in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.
COURTESY OF NEC SPORTS INFORMATION
