NORTON, Mass. – Senior All-America middle blocker
Anna Barry (Andover) became the fourth player in Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball history to reach 1,300 career kills and moved into second place all-time in career attack percentage as the Warriors split a pair of non-conference matches Saturday afternoon at Wheaton College's Emerson Gymnasium.
Ranked first in the Little East Conference, second in New England and sixth nationally with a .416 attack percentage, Barry had 23 kills and a .429 attack percentage as Eastern (14-6) swept Western New England University (14-9) and lost in four sets to Wheaton (10-10). Scores against WNEU were 25-15, 25-16, 25-12 and against Wheaton were 19-25, 25-17, 19-25, 20-25.
Led by senior
Nayeli Cruz Martinez (Toa Baja, P.R.), sophomore
Bella Johnson (Marlborough) and Barry and aided by Western New England's .071 attack percentage, Eastern recorded its ninth sweep this year, fourth in the last five matches. Cruz Martinez had eight kills and a .636 attack percentage, Johnson six kills and a .385 mark, and Barry ten kills and a .500 attack percentage as Eastern defeated the Golden Bears for the seventh time in the last eight meetings.
Wheaton attacked at .330 against Eastern, with Barry leading the Warriors with 13 kills and a .375 attack percentage and Johnson adding ten kills.
On the day, Barry had 23 kills and a .429 attack percentage, Johnson 16 kills, senior Cruz Martinez 14 kills with a .500 attack percentage, and first-year player
Sadie Blackwell (Southbury) 12 kills. Senior setter
Meg Verizzi (Lebanon) had 54 assists and 16 digs, senior libero
Paula Perez (Caguas, P.R.) 32 digs, first-year player
Jenna Loring (Richmond, RI) 13 digs and sophomore
Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin) 11. Blackwell and Loring each had a .917 reception percentage on 24 attempts.
Eastern visits Plymouth State University Saturday at noon in a conference match and also faces Regis College in a non-conference match at 2 p.m. before closing out the regular season Oct. 29 hosting Massachusetts Dartmouth in a conference match at 1 p.m.
Conference-leading Plymouth (6-1 LEC) closes out its conference season against Eastern (5-1 LEC). The Warriors hold a one-game lead over UMass Dartmouth, Western Connecticut and Keene State College (all at 4-2) in the race for second place and one of the top two seeds and first-round byes in the LEC tournament beginning next month.
