Women's Volleyball Nets 20th Victory vs. Rutgers-Camden

SCRANTON, Pa. – The Wells College women's volleyball game reached the 20-win plateau after capturing a 3-0 victory against Rutgers-Camden on Saturday on the campus of the University of Scranton. Despite losing to the host Royals by a 3-1, Wells rallied to defeat Rutgers-Camden in straight sets to improve to 20-10 overall on the year, becoming the first North Eastern Athletic Conference program to reach 20 wins.

Wells lost to Scranton in four sets via scores of 23-25, 11-25, 25-23 and 24-26. The straight-set victory against Rutgers-Camden came via scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-18. The Express have now won games against teams from seven different conferences, including the NEAC, SUNYAC, Empire 8, NJAC, CSAC, Liberty League, and the Freedom Conference (MAC).

Sophomore Meredith Kadjeski (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) led all Wells players with 14 kills in the four-set loss to Scranton. Freshman Eliza Schwab (Hartland, N.Y.) set up 24 of her team's 36 kills while tying with classmate Olyvia Brazier (Stony Brook, N.Y.) for the team lead with 14 digs defensively. Schwab also hammered home four service aces, leading the team in that statistic.

The Express trailed by an 11-6 margin in the first set but was sparked by eight-straight Wells points with Schwab serving. Across that stretch, Schwab posted three service aces and took advantage of some faulty attacks from Scranton. With the score tied at 23 aside, however, Wells let the opening set slip away as a Royals kill preceded a Wells attacking error to put the Express in a 1-0 hole.

Wells never found its offensive groove in the second set of the match, falling by a 25-11 margin after allowing the hosts to a 9-4 lead through the first 13 points of the set. With the score tied at 23 aside in the third set, Wells took advantage of a Scranton service error that preceded a kill from freshman Anuhea Leite-Ah Yo (Hilo, Hawaii) to cut into the hosts advantage, 2-1.

In the fourth set, Wells had their chances to force a fifth set but untimely attacking errors doomed any chance of extending the match. With the score tied at 24 aside, back-to-back attack errors by Wells allowed the host Royals to capture the match by a 3-1 score. In the fourth frame alone, Wells committed a match-high eight attacking errors despite out-digging their opponent.

The Express shook off the tough opening match loss to Scranton by blanking Rutgers-Camden by a 3-0 score. Leite-Ah Yo and fellow Hawaiian Jessilyn Artaho-Aki (Kapa'a, Hawaii) each posted 10 digs and nine kills to lead the team. Artaho-Aki racked up a .304 hitting percentage while Schwab hammered home seven kills on nine errorless attacks to hit .778. In addition, Schwab set up 25 of her team's 42 kills.

After capturing the first set victory, Wells closed the second set with authority. With the score tied at 18 aside following a service ace by Rutgers-Camden, Wells scored the matches' next seven points to come away with the win. Across that span, Wells registered five kills and a service ace along with a Rutgers-Camden attacking error to secure the second set win.

In the third set, the Express trailed by a 14-12 margin but came roaring back to end the match. With Artaho-Aki serving, three-straight kills by the Express placed them ahead by a 17-14 margin that they would not relinquish. Leite-Ah Yo ended the match in grand fashion, posting a service ace to send Wells home with the doubleheader split.

All eyes will be on the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing this Tuesday, Oct. 28 as the Express host league-rival Keuka College in a 6 p.m. match. As the final league contest on the schedule, there are heavy playoff implications for numerous postseason teams around the conference. More information about postseason seeding will be announced closer to game time. Live Statistics and Live Video for the match is available by visiting the Wells College Athletics website (http://www.wells-express.com).