Box Score
DANBURY, Conn. – With fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University and fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University having  shared fourth place in the final Little East Conference women's volleyball standings this year, an epic battle between the long-time rivals was a near-certainty when the teams met in the first round of the LEC playoffs Tuesday night at Feldman Arena.
 
And it did not disappoint. 
 
Hoping to extend its season with a berth in the LEC semifinals for the eighth time in 11 years under current head coach Megan Silver-Droesch, the Warriors battled the Wolves through three sets decided by two points each before WestConn overcame Eastern's one-point lead in the fourth set with a match-ending 10-3 scoring run that eliminated the Warriors and moved WestConn into the playoff semifinals. WestConn won by 25-23, 25-23, 27-29, 25-19.
 
After peaking this year in mid-October with an 11-5 overall record (4-0 LEC), Eastern (13-12) concluded the season with seven losses in its final nine matches overall and dropping its final five matches against conference opponents.  Having lost seven of its previous ten prior to Tuesday, WestConn's (16-13) victory moves it into a Thursday semifinal at top-seeded Plymouth State University (24-3), which completed a perfect (8-0) LEC regular season by trimming Massachusetts Dartmouth in five sets on the road in a battle of conference unbeatens. Plymouth was able to subdue WestConn in four sets a month ago at Foley Gymnasium – the same margin of victory that it utilized to dispatch the Wolves in the 2023 LEC semifinals.
 
With the win, WestConn improved its home record to 8-4 (4-1 vs. LEC opponents at home) while Eastern fell to 6-8 away from home, finishing 1-5 against conference opponents on the road.
 
Eastern and WestConn shared fourth place in the final LEC standings but the Wolves held the tie-breaker by downing Eastern in four sets in the regular-season match Oct. 23 at Feldman Arena.
 
WestConn had ended the regular season with its third straight loss when it was swept by Rhode Island College (which failed to qualify for the playoffs) by a total of seven points Saturday morning at Providence. Eastern, which would have supplanted UMass Boston as the No. 3 seed with a victory Saturday (the teams would having shared third place but Eastern would have held the tie-breaker based upon the victory), had prevailed in five sets over RIC a month ago at Providence.
 
It marked the fourth time in as many years that had Eastern travelled to face Western Connecticut State University in the first round of the Little East Conference playoffs, the lower-seeded Warriors winning in five sets in 2021 and 2022 and being eliminated in three sets in 2023 and in four sets in 2024.
 
In the regular-season meeting two weeks ago in Danbury, WestConn handed the Warriors the first of four straight LEC losses after Eastern had won its first four conference contests this year. In that match, sophomores Maggie Barr (Easthampton, MA) and Bridges  each had seven kills and had a combined attack percentage of .313, but the rest of the squad attached at -.034. First-year players Emerson Conigliaro (Wake Forest, NC) and Robinson combined for 30 digs.
 
 
First Set (W 25, E 23):
Behind five kills from first-year outside Emma Robinson (Westlake Village, CA) and a pair from senior Bella Johnson (Marlborough) and sophomore Haley Jo Bridges (Montebello, NY), Eastern moved out to a six-point, 18-12 lead before WestConn responded with eight straight to surge in front by two, 20-18. With the score tied at 20-all, Eastern committed three successive errors (service, attack and bad set). Down by three, 24-21, and facing set point, Eastern got back to within one (24-23) on another kill by Robinson – ranked third in the LEC in points per set and fourth in kills per set -- off a pass from junior setter Liz Squier (Trevor, WI), and Bridges' kill off a serve from senior libero Sadie Blackwell (Southbury). With Eastern serving with a chance to tie, WestConn's 5-11 sophomore outside Julia Stoliker – a first-team All-LEC player and Rookie-of-the-Year last year – ended it with a kill. Eastern attacked at 0.37 in the set and WestConn just .082, but the Wolves neutralized Eastern's attack with three block solos and six block assists.
 
Second Set (W 25, E 23):
Neither team led by more than two points through the early stages of the set, with WestConn finally breaking the tenth tie (15-15) and taking command, 19-15, on junior outside Sydney Slupatchuk's service ace, an Eastern attack error, a kill by Stoliker (after an Eastern timeout) and another Eastern attack error. With Eastern again facing set point (24-22) and WestConn serving for the win, the Wolves committed a service error that made it 24-23, and after a Wolves' timeout and Eastern serving, WestConn recorded another two-point victory and a 2-0 lead in sets on junior middle Delia Clouden's kill (Clouden is ranked fifth in the LEC in hitting percentage).
 
Third Set (E 29, W 27):
The Warriors extended their season by emerging on the winning end of the third straight two-point decision. This time, WestConn led early and by three (13-10) at the midway point before Eastern fought back to tie the set on a kill by Johnson and two WestConn attack errors. With the hosts serving and leading 25-24 with a chance to advance to Thursday's semifinals, Johnson tied the set at 25-25 with a kill. Twice, Eastern moved within a point of winning the set before finally breaking a 27-all tie with WestConn serving on a kill by Robinson off another set from Squier and a set-ending block from sophomore Maggie Barr (Easthampton, MA) following a serve by Bridges.
 
 Fourth Set (W 25, E 19):
WestConn never trailed and led by as many as  four points before Eastern finally pulled even at 14-all, and the Warriors took their first lead at the midway point, 16-15 when Bridges blocked Slupatchuk. As it did throughout the match, however, the hosts responded and looked to close out the match with six straight points – two coming on successive service aces from senior Helen Megson, one on a kill from Slupatchuk and two Eastern errors – to take a 21-16 lead. Three times, the Warriors got as close as four points, but WestConn's final 10-3 scoring run closed out the Wolves' win.

By The Numbers
 
Robinson (18) and Johnson (13) both equalled their second-highest kill total of the season, combining on a solid .263 attack percentage while combining for 80 of the team's 199 attempts. Blackwell dug up a career-high 38 balls, Robinson 22 and sophomore Brooke Praskievicz (Moodus) 14. Squier finished with a career-high 49 assists and Barr had four blocks (three solos).
 
Stoliker (13) and Clouden (11) combined on 24 kills for WestConn, with Megson adding nine kills and three service aces and ten digs. Clouden attacked at a match-high .379 and Stoliker followed at .297. Junior Jersey Jones, Slupatchuk and Stoliker combined for 69 digs.Graduate setter Krysti McDonald had 36 assists.