No. 4 Johnson & Wales Cruises Past Wellesley Volleyball, 3-0

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Wellesley College senior Samantha Hoang (Elk Grove, Calif.) recorded a match-high 19 digs, but No. 4 Johnson & Wales University swept past the Blue volleyball team, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-11) in non-conference play Thursday night at JWU's Wildcat Center.

Johnson & Wales improves to 18-1 overall with their 18th consecutive victory. Wellesley is now 11-2 on the season but has lost their last two matches on the road. 

Hoang had 19 of the Blue's 41 digs in the match. Senior Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) finished with eight kills, while sophomore Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) chipped in with four. Senior Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) finished with 16 assists.

Junior Kate Walker (Oakland, Calif.) tallied 10 kills on 20 attempts to lead Johnson & Wales. The Wildcats combined for a .382 attack percentage in the contest, finishing the match with 41 kills and just seven errors. Sophomore Hannah Dolan (San Clemente, Calif.) and junior Maria Coniglio (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) each chipped in with nine kills, while junior Brylee Frank (Palm City, Fla.) had 33 assists. Coniglio added 10 digs to finish with a double-double. Senior Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) racked-up a team-high 13 digs.

The Wildcats opened up an 11-4 lead with a 7-0 run in the first set. Doerges snapped the run for the Blue but Wellesley could not close to within more than six points for the rest of the set. A kill from Kelly Delaney (Calais, Maine) extended the lead to 22-12, as the Blue would go on to drop a 25-13 final.

JWU forced a Wellesley timeout with a 9-2 run to open the second set. The Wildcats continued to extend the lead after the break before an error stopped the run at 13-3. An ace from Li cut the deficit to 14-6, but the hosts continued to cruise en route to a dominating 25-11 win in set two. With the JWU lead at 10-6 to open the third frame, back-to-back kills from Nikki Jensen (Castro Valley, Calif.) and Li cut the deficit to 10-8. However, a 12-1 JWU run put the hosts ahead 22-9 and put the set out of reach. The Wildcats finished the match with another 25-11 final.

The Blue will return home to host Roger Williams on Saturday at 12:00 PM. JWU will travel to Stevens tomorrow evening for a 6:00 PM match.