Women's Volleyball Wins 3-1 Thriller vs. Keystone

AURORA, N.Y. – The Wells College women's volleyball team hammered home 59 kills on Friday, setting a program record in their team's 3-1 victory over Keystone College at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing. With the win, Wells evens their overall record at 2-2 while Keystone drops to 2-4 after the non-conference contest.

Senior Taryn Heath (Truxton, N.Y.), who assisted 49 of her team's 59 kills, also set a program record for assists in one match. Junior Vashti Nettles (Portland, Ore.) led the way with 16 kills on 29 total attacks, posting a team-best .379 hitting percentage after committing only five errors. Her .379 hitting percentage was the third-best in team history for a single match. Defensively, senior Jessilyn Artaho-Aki (Kapa'a, Hawaii) racked up 16 digs to lead the team.

Wells rallied in the decisive fourth set from a 23-19 deficit, eventually posting a 29-27 victory to clinch their second consecutive victory at home. Needing to win by two points, back-to-back kills by Nettles and freshman Anuhea Leite-Ah Yo (Hilo, Hawaii) at 27-27 were the difference. Defensively, Wells utilized 22 digs in the fourth set alone.

Despite opening up a 5-1 lead in the first set after riding the service of Leite-Ah Yo, Wells allowed Keystone back into the match and later lost a 19-17 lead in the same set. Leading 23-21 in the opening stanza, Hannah Zuchowski hammered home two kills with assists from Carol Mosier to close out the opener.

The Express kept the second set of the match firmly in their grasp, opening up a 15-11 lead after an Artaho-Aki kill. Kills by junior Gina Cairns (Delhi, N.Y.) and sophomore Meredith Kadjeski (Mechanicsburg, N.Y.) down the stretch helped keep the visiting Giants at arm's length and a service error by Keystone granted the Express a 25-20 set victory.

Wells flexed its offensive muscle in the third set, opening up a 22-6 lead but the Giants made an impressive comeback led by the serving of Anya Cerniglia. Keystone used a combination of two service aces from Cerniglia alongside three kills from Shatia Silas to mount a rally. Wells committed five service errors after reaching the 22-6 plateau but the home team eventually took advantage of back-to-back ball handling errors before a Kadjeski kill forced the decisive fourth set.

Zuchowski led her team with nine kills while Mosier set up 21 of her team's 33 kills. Defensively, Cerniglia and Amelia Morey posted 12 and 11 digs, respectively. Cerniglia also chipped in with a team-leading four service aces.

The Express hit the road Saturday, Sept. 6 as they face-off against Brockport St. and Houghton at the latter's campus beginning at 1 p.m.