Women’s Volleyball Downs NEC, 3-1, Advances to GNAC Quarterfinals

GNAC BRACKET

NASHUA, N.H. – Behind a career-high 50-assist outing from senior setter Ryan Hicks, the seventh-seed Rivier women's volleyball team battled to a four-set victory over No. 10 New England Col. in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Play-In round on Monday night at the Muldoon Center.

The Raiders improved to 16-15 with the victory while the Pilgrims finished their campaign with a 10-20 overall record.

Rivier jumped out to a 10-8 lead in the opening frame, as sophomore libero Hannah Raab and junior defensive specialist Kaitlyn Miller made serving runs, forcing NEC to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Pilgrims put together an 8-6 run to tie the game at 16-all. The Raiders would be unable to pull away again until back-to-back kills from junior outside Ali Rivera put the home team ahead 22-20, causing NEC to call their second timeout. Rivier closed out the set using an ace from senior middle Lily Sills, an NEC attack error, and a fourth Rivera kill.  Sills led the way in the first, notching five kills on 11 errorless attempts to hit at a .455 clip.

The Pilgrims led 7-2 in the early stages of the second set. Using a pair of kills from Rivera and Sills, Rivier pieced together a 10-5 run to tie things up at 12-12. Rivier took its first lead at 16-15 on an attack error from the visitors. Riv would lead by as many as five at 21-16 as the Raiders cruised to a 2-0 advantage. Rivera led the charge, posting five kills while hitting .500 in the second.

Following a Rivier timeout, a Raiders' attacker error gave NEC its largest lead of the third set at 17-10. Rivier would make a comeback bid in an effort to secure a sweep but could only cut its deficit to one point as the Pilgrims held on for a narrow, two-point victory to salvage a fourth set.

In a fourth set with seven tie scores and five lead changes, NEC led 5-3 before a momentum swing came via a 4-0 run from the Raiders as Rivera registered two kills while Sills notched one kill and one ace to make it 7-5 in favor of the hosts, forcing an NEC timeout. The Pilgrims would storm back to take a 10-9 lead, but a string of attack errors would put the Raiders right back at it, giving Riv a 12-10 edge. After NEC took back the lead at 13-12, a Raab service run would put the Raiders back in front, 16-13. Riv did not let go of its lead for the duration of the set, securing the victory with a kill from senior middle Brynn Roche at match point number two to advance to the conference quarterfinal round.

Rivera finished with an 18-kill and 18-dig double-double, leading the Raiders in each category. Sills notched 17 kills at a .326 pace, four blocks, three aces, and one assist. Roche finished with 11 kills and two blocks in the victory as Raab tacked on 15 digs. Sophomore opposite Leah Brown recorded two solo blocks.

Next up, the Raiders head south to face No. 2 JWU (Providence) on Tuesday, Nov. 12 in the GNAC Quarterfinals. First-serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. from the Wildcat Center.