Wellesley Volleyball Sweeps Past New England College, 3-0

HENNIKER, N.H. – First year Kate Giang (Corte Madera, Calif.) recorded a match-high 12 kills to lead Wellesley College volleyball to a 3-0 (25-16, 26-24, 25-23) non-conference victory over New England College on Thursday night at Bridges Gymnasium.

Giang added five service aces and five digs for Wellesley (4-2 overall). Classmate Mary Beeler (Menlo Park, Calif.) recorded a match-high seven service aces as the duo combined for 12 of the Blue's 16 service aces in the match. Beeler also added nine digs while sophomore libero Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) tied for match-high honors with 10 digs. First year setters Noelle Winn (San Francisco, Calif.) and Madeline Zornek (Orlando, Fla.) combined for 28 assists for the Blue.

Sophomore Lily-Anne Heywood (Derry, N.H.) and junior Savannah Pilialoha (Waipahu, Hawaii) paced the Pilgrims (5-3) with five kills apiece. Heywood matched Kunze-Hoeg with a match high 10 digs. 

Trailing 4-1 in the first set, the Blue countered by scoring seven consecutive points. Wellesley's run was capped by an ace from Giang before the Pilgrims fought back to take an 11-10 lead. However, Wellesley went on to score the next six points in the match. The Blue never trailed for the remainder of the set as a kill from sophomore Kennedy Mayo (Long Branch, N.J.) clinched the opener, 25-16. 

Wellesley rallied late in the second set to take control of the match. New England College raced to early advantage, establishing a 20-12 lead. A kill from Wellesley junior Rachel Xu (Beijing, China) slowed the momentum but New England College would eventually push its advantage to 23-15 following a Blue service error. Four straight Wellesley points closed the gap to 23-19 before a Blue error put the Pilgrims one point from clinching the set, 24-19. Wellesley followed by scoring seven consecutive points, the final coming on an ace from Kunze-Hoeg, to cap a furious rally with a 26-24 set victory. 

Riding the wave of its second set comeback, Wellesley opened the third set on an 8-2 run en route to a 25-23 victory. New England College rallied to retake the lead midway through the final game but another late push from the Blue proved to be the difference. A pair of late kills from Giang and a final kill from Mayo closed out the match, 3-0 for the Blue. 

Wellesley will return to action on Saturday, September 16 in Wenham, Mass. The Blue take on host Gordon at 11:00 AM and Maine Maritime at 1:00 PM in a tri-match hosted by Gordon. New England College will travel to the University of Saint Joseph on Saturday for a 1:00 PM match.