Winning Streak Snapped at Keystone in Five Sets

LA PLUME, Pa. – The Wells College women's volleyball team would fall one kill short of tying its single-match record but it was not enough in Saturday's hard-fought 3-2 loss to the host Giants from Keystone College. Wells snaps its five-game winning streak with the loss and evens its overall record at 7-7 while Keystone moves to 9-3 on the year.

Keystone won the match via set scores of 25-22, 13-25, 25-19, 18-25 and 15-13.

Both junior Meredith Kadjeski (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) and senior Vashti Nettles (Long Beach, Calif.) posted 16 kills apiece as the team collectively posted 59 kills, falling one kill short of tying the program record of 60, set at home against Keystone on Sept. 5, 2014. Sophomore Eliza Schwab (Hartland, N.Y.) assisted 42 kills for the Express while sophomore Anuhea Leite-Ah Yo (Hilo, Hawaii) led Wells with 11 digs.

Tied at two sets apiece, Wells opened up a 5-2 lead in the fifth set following a Keystone service error. Wells later went ahead by a 7-5 margin after a Nettles kill forced a timeout by the host Giants. Freshman Amanda Springer (Norwood, Mass.) hammered home a kill, lifting Wells to their second three-point lead of the set at 9-6.

The Express lost two separate three-point leads in the fifth set, however, as the tide turned for Keystone despite trailing by an 11-8 score as an attacking error by Wells preceded a service ace against Wells, another attacking error by Wells and a kill against Wells to give the hosts a 12-11 lead.

Wells would not lead again as Keystone took the win after an Express attacking error and a bad set at match point.

Keystone opened up the match with a 25-22 victory in the first set after cruising to a 7-2 lead, forcing a timeout by the Express. Wells rebounded, however, to tie the set at 12 following a Nettles kill after a Keystone time out. A Nettles kill down the stretch proved to be clutch, cutting the Keystone lead to 23-22, but a kill from Pamela Heitman preceded a set-ending service ace by Carol Mosier to put the Giants up 1-0.

In the second set, Wells easily captured a 25-13 victory after an outstanding performance by the offense. Collectively, the Express hit .357 after committing only three attacking errors and hammering home 13 kills. Nettles was responsible for four of those kills while sophomore Olyvia Brazier (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Kadjeski each posted three kills apiece. Junior Nadine Pershyn (Buffalo, N.Y.) had four of her 10 digs in the match in the second set.

Keystone, however, countered with a potent offensive attack in the third set by hitting home 11 kills with only one attacking error. Hannah Zuchowski and Kristen Larkin each posted four kills, combining to post eight kills on only 10 swings to shut down the Express.

Just as easily as the Giants turned on the offense, however, Wells came right back and posted an outstanding 14 kills on only 26 attacks as the Express tied the match at two and forced a decisive fifth set. With freshman Renee Bartosz (Hamburg, N.Y.) serving, Wells opened up a commanding 12-2 lead following a Nettles kill and wouldn't look back, capturing the 25-18 fourth set win.

Wells will host the second North Eastern Athletic Conference Crossover Weekend starting this Friday, Oct. 2. The Express will welcome several conference rivals as they host six matches on campus, starting with a 5 p.m. neutral site match and a 7 p.m. Senior Day match between Wells and Cazenovia.