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Great Northeast Athletic Conference

Rivier, Colby-Sawyer Advance to Quarterfinals Round

Rivier, Colby-Sawyer Advance to Quarterfinals Round
November 11, 2024
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WINTHROP, Mass. - No. 7 seed Rivier will head to Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow night to match-up against two-seeded Johnson & Wales after defeating No. 10 seed New England College in four sets (3-1). Meanwhile, No. 8 Colby-Sawyer came back from a 2-1 deficit to win the match in five against No. 9 seed Dean, advancing to the quarterfinals where they will match-up against reigning GNAC Champion and top-seed Lasell University tomorrow night.

Release Courtesy of the Rivier Athletic Communications Department

NASHUA, N.H. – Behind a 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.

Release Courtesy of the Colby-Sawyer Athletic Communications Department

NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Colby-Sawyer women's volleyball team picked up a 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10) win at home Monday night to advance to the quarterfinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament. 

Rapid Recap:

  • The Bulldogs came ready to fight Monday evening taking a quick 6-3 lead over the Chargers. Sophomore Brenna Piller (Simsbury, Conn.) got the Chargers back on the board with a kill followed by a service ace by senior Audra Fontes (Fresno, Calif.). Back-to-back kills by first-year Kamryn Brakemeier (Fort Worth, Texas) and Piller gave the Chargers the 7-6 lead. The Chargers continued to extend their lead with kills by Brakemeier and senior Brooke Patnode (Weare, N.H.), but the Bulldogs continued to battle and took a 17-13 lead over the Chargers late in the first set. Senior Ally Majenski (Marshfield, Mass.) cut the Bulldogs lead with a kill, but Dean capitalized on Chargers errors to take the first set 25-20. 
  • Senior Katie Mollberg (Naples, Fla.) got the Chargers on the board with a kill, but the Bulldogs responded to tie the game early in the second set. Service ace by Piller and back-to-back kills by Brakemeier extended the Chargers lead to 12-4 in the second set. The Bulldogs responded with a service ace and took advantage of Chargers errors to get the set within two points as they trailed 14-12. Both teams would trade points back in forth in the second set with back-to-back kills by Brakemeier giving the home team a 22-17 lead. Majenski would solidify the set favoring the Chargers with a kill as the Chargers won the second set 25-17.
  • Patnode got the Chargers on the board first in the third set with a service ace, but the Bulldogs responded with a kill of their own.  Piller kickstarted a 4-0 run for the Chargers with a kill, while Mollberg chipped in another kill as the Chargers led 6-3 in the set. The Bulldogs and Chargers would trade points throughout the third set and took a 14-12 lead. A kill by Piller and a service ace by sophomore Bree Bacon (Brookline, Mass.) to give the Chargers the lead, but the Bulldogs took advantage Chargers errors and tied the set up. The teams continued to battle before the Bulldogs would pull away and take a 2-1 set lead over the Chargers. 
  • The Bulldogs continued to put in the work in the fourth set taking a quick 4-2 lead over the home team, but a service ace by Bacon and Bulldog error would tie the set up at 4-4. The two teams traded kills and attacking errors back and forth, but a kill by Mollberg and service ace by first-year Madison Sinatro (Simsbury, Conn.) gave the Chargers the 13-11 lead. The Bulldogs would tie the set up at 14-14, but a kill by Brakemeier extended the Chargers lead to 18-15. Majenski put three kills away in the set to give the Chargers the 23-17 lead and a service ace by Patnode would force a fifth set. 
  • The Chargers took a 5-1 lead with kills by Mollberg, Piller, and Brakemeier and the Chargers did not let off of the gas. Charger Nation was in full force bringing the energy Monday night as the Chargers continued to dominate with Majenski putting the ball away with two quick kills. Mollberg would extend the Chargers lead to 12-9 in the fifth set and the home team took advantage of back-to-back attacking errors by the Bulldogs and were one point away from victory. Brakemeier would put the ball away with a kill and gave the Chargers the 3-2 victory over the visiting Bulldogs as the home team took the fifth set 15-10. 

Inside the Numbers:

  • Brakemeier led the way for the Chargers with 19 kills and two digs while Majenski added 16 kills and eight digs. 
  • Patnode recorded 48 assists, 15 digs, and three service aces while Sinatro added 10 digs and a service ace. 
  • Fontes tallied 24 digs and two services aces while Piller chipped in 12 digs, nine kills, and three services aces. 

Post-Game Press:
"It was really incredible to get the win," said senior Ally Majenski (Marshfield, Mass.). "Everyone fought and played hard for each other and it was a great experience for our team!!"

Up Next: 
The Chargers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Newton, Massachusetts to take on number one seeded Lasell University in the quarterfinal round of the GNAC playoffs with a 6:00 PM start.