BROOKLINE, Mass. --  The Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team captured its first invitational title in its first try under new head coach Megan Silver Droesch, completing a three-match sweep with a 3-1 victory over host Newbury College at the Fourth Annual David Hildebrandt Memorial Invitational Saturday morning. Set scores were 30-28, 25-8, 21-25, 25-19.

At right: Tournament MVP Allie Luppi

Coming off three-set sweeps of Suffolk University and Johnson State College Friday night, Eastern (4-1) scored the final two points on kills by sophomore Adrianna Mihalek (Woodbury) and six-foot freshman Hannah Koehler (Bedford, NH) to edge Newbury (1-3) in the first set, then moved out to a 2-0 match lead when junior libero Allie Luppi (Tewksbury, MA) – named the tournament's MVP -- served 12 straight points. Luppi had five service aces in that run, finishing with nine in the match.

After the Nighthawks remained alive with a four-point win in the third set, Eastern completed the victory with a six-point victory in the final fourth set. Mihalek's kill put the Warriors ahead for good in the set, 17-16, and Luppi served the next three points, two coming on aces.

The Warriors attacked at only .107 in the match but Newbury finished at -.060 and was guilty of 14 reception errors on Eastern's 14 service aces. Koehler and 6-foot-1 inch freshman Megan Macomber (South Windsor) combined for seven kills on 14 attempts with just one error; Mihalek and 6-foot-1 inch sophomore Kay Mullen (Fairhaven, MA) had nine kills each, Mullen also collecting four blocks (three solos).

Luppi was the only player on either team with double-digit digs (24), but freshman Sarah Leonard (Southborough, MA) contributed nine to go along with 22 set assists. Freshman Amanda Tourjee (Waterford) added ten assists.

In three tournament matches, Mullen led the Warriors with 23 kills and a .314 attack percentage, Mihalek adding 18 kills. Leonard (48), Tourjee (23) and senior Allie Henry (Middletown) combined for 90 assists. More than one-quarter of Luppi's 54 serves resulted in aces (15), with sophomore Amanda Tyler (Longmeadow, MA) adding seven of Eastern's tournament total of 49 aces (4.9 per set). Mullen had seven blocks in the tournament, Luppi 43 digs.

Tyler joined Luppi from Eastern on the five-person all-tournament team. In the tournament, Tyler had ten kills, seven service aces and nine digs and totaled 17.5 points.

Eastern visits Emmanuel College Wednesday at 7 p.m.