Michelle Li dished out 38 assists to orchestrate a Wellesley attack that hit .352 (Julia Monaco).
Michelle Li dished out 38 assists to orchestrate a Wellesley attack that hit .352 (Julia Monaco).

Blue Volleyball Rolls Past Non-Conference Roger Williams, 3-0

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Sophomore Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) and senior Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) combined for 29 kills to lead Wellesley College volleyball to a 3-0 sweep of non-conference Roger Williams University on Saturday at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

The Blue improve to 12-2 overall and 2-0 versus Roger Williams in 2018. Wellesley also defeated the Hawks, 3-1, earlier this season at the MIT Invitational. Roger Williams is now 9-9 on the season.

Gedney finished with a match-high 17 kills and five block assists, while Reece added 12 kills on 16 attempts. Senior Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) dished out 38 assists to orchestrate a Wellesley attack that hit .352 in the match and over .400 in the first and third sets. Senior Samantha Hoang (Elk Grove, Calif.) had 15 assists to lead all players and has finished in double-figures defensively in each of Wellesley's last four matches. 

Senior Nicki Fallisi (Salem, N.H.) put down eight kills to lead RWU. Junior Lara LaIacono (Lynbrook, N.Y.) added seven kills but the Hawks finished with just 28 as a squad. Junior setter Julia Fields (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) tallied 17 assists and first year libero Olivia Turcotte (South Kingstown, R.I.) had seven digs for the visitors. RWU racked-up 17 total blocks in the match, with junior Maddie Neuberger (Remsenburg, N.Y.) leading the play at the net with two solo blocks and four block assists.

Trailing 18-17 late in the first set, the Blue seized control of the opener with a 6-1 run that turned a one-point deficit into a four point lead when Gedney powered down a kill to give the Blue a 23-19 advantage. Back-to-back Blue errors helped Roger Williams pull within two, 23-21, but a kill from first year Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) made the score 24-21. Fallisi countered with a kill for RWU but the set would end in favor of the Blue, 25-22, following an RWU service error. 

The Blue steadily built their advantage in the second set, never trailing en route to a 25-14 win. Wellesley took a 10-6 lead on a kill by Gedney and eventually would lead by a 19-9 margin after an ace from junior Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.). Roger Williams got only as close as nine, trailing 23-14, late in the set, as a kill from Gedney and an ace from Doerges closed out the 25-14 win. 

Wellesley continued to roll in the third and final game, opening the set on a 12-4 run that put the match away. The Blue would eventually lead by as many as 13 points in the third set, taking a 23-10 edge before Roger Williams found late momentum with a 6-1 run. A kill from Fallisi capped the run with the visitors trailing, 24-16, but Doerges ended the set with a kill to end the next rally, giving the Blue a 25-15 win and a 3-0 win in the match.

Both teams return to the court on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Wellesley will host Coast Guard in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action and Roger Williams will host Endicott.