Jensen, Weik lead Blue Volleyball to 3-0 Win over Mount Holyoke

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College volleyball improved to 2-0 in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-15) victory over Mount Holyoke College on Saturday at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

Wellesley has now won 18 consecutive home matches and is 8-3 overall (2-0 NEWMAC). Mount Holyoke drops to 2-9 in 2019 (0-2 NEWMAC).

Junior Nikki Jensen (Castro Valley, Calif.) led all players with 12 kills on 25 attempts (.240), while classmate Molly Weik (Seattle, Wash.) had a career-best nine kills on 12 attempts (.750) for the Blue. Junior Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) and sophomore Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) each tallied five kills and sophomore Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) finished with 29 assists. Jensen, Doerges, and senior Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) tied for match-high honors with nine kills apiece.

First year Marianne Simon (Miami, Fla.) finished with seven kills to lead the Lyons, while sophomore Sarah Bishop (Rutland, Mass.) added five and senior Sasha Simine (Kitchener, Ont.) had three. Junior Brayden Walden (McKinney, Texas) and first year Alexandra Keough (Endicott, N.Y.) split the setting duties, combining for 13 assists. Walden also had a team-high seven digs. The visitors struggled to find a rhythm on offense but did tally 16 total blocks, with Simine leading the play at the net with five block assists.

The Blue hit .313 in an opening set rout, downing the Lyons 25-13 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Wellesley scored the final 10 points in the set, as back-to-back kills from Weik and Jensen closed out the run.

Wellesley posted another 25-13 win in the second set to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Blue pulled away early, taking a 10-6 lead on a kill from Seebold, and continued to control the set, eventually leading 18-10 on a Gedney kill, before Jensen again closed out the set, 25-13, with her fourth kill of the set.

With the third set locked at 14-14, the Blue took control late to finish the match. Wellesley scored 11 of the final 12 points in the match as a kill by first year Alexis Stull (Palo Alto, Calif.) capped the Wellesley win. Stull finished with a season-best six kills for the Blue.

Both teams continue NEWMAC play on Tuesday evening, September 24, at 7:00 PM. Wellesley will host Wheaton and Mount Holyoke will welcome Coast Guard Academy.