Women’s Volleyball Completes Reverse Sweep of Keene St.

NASHUA, N.H. – After falling behind two sets to none, the Rivier women's volleyball team mounted a comeback to win the next three sets and complete a reverse sweep in a non-conference victory over Keene St. on Wednesday night at the Muldoon Center.

The Raiders won by set scores of 21-25, 11-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-13 and improved to 5-5 with the victory while the Owls fell to 5-5 overall.

Rivier now holds a slight edge in the all-time series with their in-state foes, which dates back to the 1997 season, 17-16.

In a tight first set which consisted of four tie scores and two lead changes, the Owls preserved through late pressure from the Raiders to power ahead and take a 1-0 lead.

Keene St. took complete control in the second set, hitting .300 as a team on top of eight service aces while limiting Riv to a .061 percentage to make it a two-set cushion.

In the third, three-straight Rivier kills from Ali Rivera, Lily Sills, and Callie Nanos forced the Owls to burn a timeout trailing 14-11. Rivier went on a 6-3 run out of the break to have Keene St. call its final timeout of the frame while the home team held a six-point cushion. The Raiders would cap off a set with a Rivera kill to grab a set and start their comeback bid. Riv limited their opponents to a match-low .040 hitting percentage in the set.

Riv carried that momentum into the fourth set, as they took a commanding 13-6 lead thanks to a strong attack to force the Owls to regroup with a timeout. Keene St. would get as close as three points at 18-15, but the Raiders would hold on through the late going to force a fifth and final set. Sam Driend hit at an .800 clip in the fourth as she registered four kills on five errorless swings. Sills tacked on seven kills at a .545 clip, while Ryan Hicks dished out 12 assists.

Rivier went to the switch with an 8-2 lead, but the Owls would not go down easy. Trailing 10-4, Keene St. used a timeout to slow the Raiders' momentum and mount a 7-3 run, making it a 13-11 game. Down just one at match point, an Owls serve went long to secure Rivier's fourth victory of the campaign.

Hicks finished with a double-double as she handed out 34 assists and recorded 12 digs while recording four kills and an ace. Both Rivera and Hannah Raab posted a team-high 18 digs in the triumph. Sills notched 15 kills at a .216 clip while recording four solo blocks and two block assists.

The Raiders return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday, Sept. 21 in a tri-match against Lasell and Albertus Magnus. Riv will face off against the Lasers at 11:00 a.m. and the Falcons at 3:00 p.m. in the Muldoon Center.