'On This Day' Express Strong in Final Sets Against 5-Time Champion Bison in NEAC Semis

'On This Day' is a Wells College Athletics feature series taking a look back on events that occurred on this day, Nov. 7, five years ago in 2015.

MARCY, N.Y. – The Wells College women's volleyball team was defeated by the Bison from Gallaudet University in the semifinal round of the North Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, held on the campus of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute. With the four-set loss, Wells concludes its fourth season as a modern-day varsity program with a record of 18-11.

Gallaudet, whose only regular season loss in conference play was to the Express, rebounded to defeat Wells via scores of 25-19, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-23 in the semifinal round of the playoffs. The Bison will look to win its sixth-straight NEAC title on Sunday, facing-off against the host Wildcats from SUNY Poly.

Wells was led by senior Vashti Nettles, tallying 13 kills without committing an attacking error on the match. Meredith Kadjeski ranked second on the team, chipping in with 10 kills and six digs for the Express. Eliza Schwab assisted 29 of her team's 40 kills while junior Nadine Pershyn scooped up 15 digs from the back line.

Olyvia Brazier had a solid all-around game for Wells, tabulating 12 digs and seven kills. Additionally, Wells combined for 13 total blocks, using three solo blocks and 20 block assists to set a single-match program record. Nettles led all Wells players with six block assists.

In the first set, Gallaudet opened up a commanding 21-9 lead but a kill from Kadjeski sparked the Express to four-straight points. Trailing 24-13, the Express went on another streak, posting six-straight points to make things interesting in the opening stanza. A service error by the Express, however, lifted the Bison to the early 1-0 lead.

Wells led by a 14-8 margin in the second set, but with Raelyn Fuechtmann serving for Gallaudet, the Bison posted eight-straight points to capture a lead they would not relinquish. Wells committed only two attacking errors in the second set, but Gallaudet limited the Express to a match-low six kills and a .133 attacking percentage.

In a thrilling third set, the Express held on to pick up the 25-23 victory to cut the match to 2-1. With her team trailing 23-22, Nettles posted back-to-back kills to propel the Express into the lead. With sophomore Anuhea Leite-Ah Yo serving at set point, an attack from Gallaudet's Darriyan Thomas was blocked by Brazier and Nettles to swing momentum in favor of Wells.

Wells rallied from a 4-0 margin to make things interesting in the fourth set, battling the Bison to a 22-22 tie down the stretch. An Express service error preceded a kill from Brazier, who was set up by senior Zakarra Butts on the play. With the set tied at 23, however, Gallaudet saw back-to-back kills from Thomas and Tessa Lewis to clinch a 3-1 win for the Bison.

Wells, competing in its fourth modern-day season of women's volleyball since the team's revival in 2012, achieved its best-ever record in conference play, posting 11 victories while losing only a single match. The team has made two postseason appearances since 2014 after posting 21 regular season conference victories in 24 matches and remains in search of its first-ever NEAC tournament win.

Boxscore: https://www.wells-express.com/sports/wvball/2015-16/boxscores/20151107_ux7a.xml