Women's Volleyball falls at JWU in four sets

(Providence, R.I.) Over the last 10 years, Johnson & Wales University and Rivier University have been the preeminent women's volleyball programs in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The two schools have played a number of epic matches and Wednesday was another one for the ages. In a rematch of last year's championship match, the Wildcats were once again victorious; earning a 3-1 (25-19 25-22, 27-29, 28-26) tough win on Wednesday evening.

The loss is the Raiders' first of the season as they are now 11-1 overall (0-1 GNAC) while the Wildcats remain unblemished at 11-0 (1-0 GNAC). Rivier was able to become the first team to take a set from the Wildcats this season, a streak of 32 consecutive sets.

The Raiders received outstanding efforts from seniors Dana Mott (Medway, Mass.) and Lauren Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.). The duo combined for more than 75% of the team's kills as Mott led the way with 16 and Silverman registered 11. Sophomore Hayley Macken (Clifton Park, N.Y.) chipped in with 40 assists and 12 digs while junior Bethany Trevino (Westminster, Colo.) also collected 12 digs. Silverman once again led the team with four total blocks.

For JWU, freshman Maria Coniglio (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) finished with a double-double of her own with 24 kills and 13 digs. Classmate Brylee Frank (Palm City, Fla.) totaled 54 assists and Elizabeth Hamilton (Canton, Mass.) finished with 14 kills and 12 digs.

Rivier will exit conference play in their next scheduled contest as they will be in Worcester, Mass. for a non-conference tri-match with Wellesley College at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Saturday afternoon.