WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The top three offensive players in the Eastern Connecticut State University lineup combined for 37 kills and a .367 attack percentage that powered the Warriors to a five-set victory over Keene State College in the 2020-21 season and Little East Conference opener Sunday at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium. Set scores were 19-25, 25-12, 22-25, 25-13, 15-11.
Eastern evened the match twice by winning the second and fourth sets, then outscored Keene 6-1 down the stretch in the deciding set to defeat the Owls for the third straight year, the first in the current streak coming in the LEC championship match at Geissler Gym in 2018.
In the final set, the Warriors trailed by three points but pulled even twice, the final time at 10-10. Senior first-team All-LEC outside
Abby Stern's (Manchester) kill then lifted Eastern into the lead for good and the Warriors added another point to force Keene into a timeout trailing by two. Out of the timeout, Stern pushed Keene to the brink with back-to-back aces and sophomore
Nayeli Cruz Martinez' (Toa Baja, P.R.) finished them off soon after with her tenth kill of the match.
Trailing 2-matches-to-1, Eastern climbed back with its second double-digit set win, 25-13, in Set 4. The Warriors came out with the first three points of the set and never trailed, methodically building the lead to ten, 16-6, en route to forcing a deciding set.
Cruz Martinez had ten kills and attached at .429 in the match, senior
Alaetra Long (Lincoln, NE) leading both teams with 15 kills on a .368 attack percentage, and 2019 LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year
Anna Barry (Andover), a junior, had 12 kills and a .300 attack percentage. Senior
Lauren Notholt (Milford) was the fourth player in double figures in kills, totalling ten and a .280 attack percentage.
Junior setter
Meg Verizzi (Lebanon) collected a career-high 40 assists and Long and Stern combined for 39 digs and were successful on 35 of 37 reception attempts. Junior libero
Madison Bell (Salem) added 14 digs and Verizzi 13. Eastern compiled 14 points on service aces, with freshman
Paula Victoria Hernandez Aulet (Manti, P.R.) leading the way with four and Stern, Bell and sophomore
Paula Perez (Caguas, P.R.) all chipping in three.
While Eastern dominated most categories, Keene's strength came in blocking, with eight players contributing a total of four block solos and 14 assists. Junior middle Elizabeth Johnson topped the team with a solo and four assists and senior outside Megan Palmer and junior outside Ali McLoughlin both recording a solo and two assists.
Offensively, sophomore Sydney Johnson finished in double figures with 12 kills and a .281 attack percentage. Freshman Kacie Blanchet had 25 assists and freshman Josephine Sarno had nine. Freshman libero Reagan Fleming led Keene with 13 digs and committed only one error on 20 reception attempts. Palmer had 12 digs and was perfect on 11 receptions. Junior libero Sarah Williams topped Keene with 22 receptions.
Eastern visits Rhode Island College Thursday in a conference match at 7 p.m.
