Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – It was something old and something new for the Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team Saturday on the second day of the 2024 season when it was swept by Mount Holyoke College before rebounding to sweep host University of Saint Joseph at Calhoun Gymnasium.
 
The old was good, the new, not so much.
 
Scores against Mount Holyoke (2-0) were 24-26, 15-25, 22-25 and were 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 against Saint Joseph (0-3).
 
The victory over Saint Joseph was same-old, giving Eastern its 23^rd  straight victory in 25 tries over the Blue Jays and second sweep in as many day. The loss to Mount Holyoke was a new experience since the Warriors had reeled off 11 straight wins over the Lyons (four straight by sweep) and had sustained its only loss against MHC 42 years ago.
 
In the opener Saturday, Mount Holyoke won two matches by a total of five points – surviving in the first set after Eastern (2-1) rallied from an early nine-point deficit to tie the game four times before giving up the final two points. In losing the final set by three points, Eastern couldn't hold a four-point, 20-16 lead.  Trailing 23-22 and serving with a chance to tie, the Warriors committed an attack error, and the Lyons closed it out on an attack by Annika Lackstrom.
 
In the loss, Eastern attacked at -007, committed eight service errors and six reception errors.
 
Against Saint Joseph, first-year outside Emma Robinson (Westlake Village, CA) tortured the Blue Jays for the second time in less than 24 hours. After collecting 12 kills Friday night in her collegiate debut, the 5-foot-8 inch Robinson added 19 more (with a .516 attack percentage) Saturday, with sophomore outside Brooke Praskievicz (Moodus) contributing ten kills, and sophomore middle Haley Jo Bridges (Montebello, NY) seven with a .364 attack percentage.
 
Against the Blue Jays, junior Liz Squier (Trevor, WI) and first-year player Ariah Davis (Raleigh, NC) combined for 34 assists, with Squier and Praskiewvicz each totalling three of the team's ten service aces. Praskiewvicz, Davis and junior libero Sadie Blackwell (Southbury) combined for 38 digs.
 
In six sets on the day, Robinson led the way with 26 kills and a .339 attack percentage, served 21 times without an error, and had 18 digs and three blocks; Praskievicz followed with 18 kills, four service aces, had a .973 reception percentage on 37 attempts, and dug up  24 balls; Squier had 33 assists (and three aces) and Davis 18; Blackwell led all players with 34 digs and 42 reception attempts; and senior middle Taylor Smith (Bowie, MD), Robinson and Bridges combined for ten blocks.
 
On Saturday, Eastern faces Rutgers University-Newark at 1 p.m. and Suffolk University  at 3 p.m. in a tri-match at the Larry E. Smith and Michael S. Smith Court at Suffolk.