Blue Volleyball Downs Keene St. in Non-Conference Play, 3-1

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Outside hitters Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.), Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif), and Nikki Jensen (Castro Valley, Calif.) combined for 53 kills to lead Wellesley College volleyball to a 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-11, 25-21) non-conference victory over Keene State College on Thursday night at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse. 

Wellesley has won three of the team's last four matches to improve 7-3 overall while stretching the team's home-court winning streak to 17 consecutive games. Keene St., who had won six in-a-row entering tonight's match, is now 10-3 on the season. 

Gedney had a match-high 22 kills to lead the Blue, while Doerges added 16 kills and three aces and Jensen tallied 15 kills. Jensen also finished the match with a team-high 12 digs to record her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) set-up the Blue attack with 59 assists, while senior Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) had 11 digs and sophomore Lizzy Jessen (Burbank, Calif.) added 10. Junior Becca Aristotelidis (San Antonio, Texas) finished with a team-high four of Wellesley's 11 service aces. 

Keene St. sophomore Ali McLoughlin (Melbourne, Fla.) bagged 11 kills and two block assists to lead the Owls in the effort against the Blue. Senior Kelly Hunt (Milford, Conn.) and sophomore Emilyann Ashford (Silver City, N.M.) each tossed in eight kills apiece, while junior/senior Bailey Wilson (Moorpark, Calif.) racked up 35 assists, two kills, two block assists, six digs, and three of the team's six service aces.

The Blue finished the match with a season-best .326 attack percentage. After falling behind 3-0 to start the match, Wellesley used a 14-3 run to jump to a 14-6 lead and take control of the opening set. Keene St. closed the gap to 19-14 following a kill from Hunt, but a Doerges kill on the next point ignited a 6-1 Blue run to finish off a 25-15 victory. 

Keene St. responded in the second set, earning a 25-22 win to tie the match. The Owls raced to a 9-4 lead on an Elizabeth Johnson (Rockledge, Fla.) kill. The Blue got within one-point on a Keene St. error, at 10-9, but could not rally past Keene St. for the remainder of the set. The Owls eventually built a 20-12 lead before hanging on in the final points for the win. 

The third set was all Wellesley, paced by the outside attack, the Blue hit .429 with 22 kills on 35 attempts to earn a commanding 25-11 win. The Blue opened the set on a 13-2 run, capped by a kill from Molly Weik (Seattle, Washington), before going on to victory. Wellesley carried the momentum into the fourth set to close out the match with a 25-21 set win. With Wellesley leading 15-9, Keene St. rallied to within a point at 18-17, but the Blue held on to cap the 3-1 win. 

Both teams continue the season on Saturday, September 21. Wellesley will host Mount Holyoke in New England Women's & Men's Athletics Conference (NEWMAC) play at 1:00 PM. Keene St. will travel to Little East Conference rival Rhode Island College at 12:00 PM.