GORHAM, Maine – The good news for the Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team Saturday was that it swept a pair of matches against host University of Southern Maine and Fitchburg State University at the Warren Hill Gymnasium, although it came as no surprise against opponents that had lost a combined 35 of the 41 matches in the all-time series against the Warriors.
 
The better news, however, was that Eastern was able to win when it mattered, capturing five of seven sets that were decided by five points or fewer.
 
Eastern 3, Southern Maine 2
 
In one of the most hotly-contested matches in the 25-match history in the Little East Conference opener with Southern Maine (3-8, 0-1 LEC), five sets were decided by a total of 14 points – all by four points or less. Eastern (7-4, 1-0 LEC) led the match only once – when it mattered – when it outlasted the Huskies in the fifth set, 15-13. Set scores were 21-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13.
 
The conference-opening win with Southern Maine – ranked seventh in the LEC pre-season poll – marked only the second time the match went the full five sets (USM winning in 2003 and Eastern winning in 2013). Eastern has won six of the last seven and 15 of the last 17 matches against the Huskies.
 
Sophomore Taylor Thompson's (West Point, NY) two kills and first year Brooke Praskievicz's (Moodus) ace rallied Eastern  back from a 25-24 deficit in set two to avoid going down 0-2. The Warriors trailed 18-12 in set four when a Southern Maine attack error and three consecutive aces from senior Paige Savitsky (Centereach, NY) allowed Eastern to get back in the game. Eastern would go on to take a 20-19 lead on a kill from sophomore Liz Squier (Trevor, WI) and would not relinquish the lead. The match was won 15-13 in set five on a junior Bella Johnson (Marlborough) kill.
 
Praskievicz led Eastern with 13 kills with Thompson just trailing with 12. Sophomore Haley Jo Bridges (Montebello, NY) added 10 kills with a .409 attack percentage. Squier had a match high 32 assists and added 15 digs.
 
Eastern 3, Fitchburg State 0
 
Facing Fitchburg (4-5) for the first time since 1998, Eastern posted 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 wins for its 15^th straight win over the Falcons, 12^th in a row by shutout.
 
Against Fitchburg Saturday, Eastern set the tone by emerging with the important two-point win in the opening set. The Warriors never trailed in the first set and took a nine-point lead late before holding off the Falcons, who scored 12 of the next 16 points before senior Savitsky  ended it with her third of three kills in the set off a pass from Squier.
 
First-year players Bridges and Praskiewvicz combined on seven kills without an error to power the Warriors to an eight-point win in the second set. In a tight third set, Eastern attacked at .000 but erased an early four-point deficit with a run of nine straight points that pushed it into a 12-7 lead from which it was never seriously threatened the rest of the way. In that 9-0 spurt, Bridges served eight straight points – recording three points on her own with aces – with Praskievicz scoring two points on kills and junior Elayna Comella (Warwick, RI) contributing one kill.
 
Statistical leaders on the day
 
In the two-match sweep, Bridges had 17 kills with a .441 attack percentage and five blocks; Praskiewvicz contributed a team-high 18 kills with a .949 reception percentage on 39 attempts and 16 digs; Thompson had 16 kills, and Squier 45 assists and 19 digs.
 
Junior Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin) led the Warriors with 27 digs. While Eastern's defense was the victim of 33 service aces and had a reception percentage of just .788, Parmelee and was one of five Eastern players that countered with multiple service aces. Parmelee had eight aces, Praskiewvicz six, Savitsky five, and Squire and Bridges four each. Squier (.969) and Savitsky both served at over .960, committing only two combined errors on 59 attempts.
 
Eastern returns to Geissler Gymnasium for its first home matches since Sept. 9, hosting Rhode Island College in a Little East Conference match Wednesday at 7 p.m.  Eastern leads the all-time series, 67-11, with 12 straight wins.