CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Lesley University women's volleyball team opened up New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-11) sweep at Elms College this afternoon. The win, which was Lesley's sixth straight over Elms dating back to 2009, improves the Lynx to 7-2 overall and a perfect 1-0 in the conference. The Blazers fall to 3-13 on the season and 0-1 in the NECC.
Lynx freshman Anni Abbruzzesse (Croton on Hudson, N.Y.) paced the offense for the visitors as she slammed home 11 kills while classmate Ciara Bruning (Centerville, Mass.) buried seven while hitting to a .316 clip.
Senior Danielle Johnson (Waterford, Conn.) and junior Jessie Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) each chipped in with five kills. Reynolds also led the Lynx as she tied a season-best with 15 digs. Junior Emily Marden (Fremont, Calif.) dished out 27 assists to go with her ten digs while Melisa Randall (Fremont, Calif.) and Danielle McDonald (Lilitz, Pa.) each finished with 14 digs.
Leading the way for the hosts was senior Christine Searles (Tolland, Mass.) who finished with seven kills to go with her seven digs. Freshmen Kate Moriarty (Agawam, Mass.), Ashlee Connors (Springfield, Mass.) and junior Alexandra Mack (Wilbraham, Mass.) each finished with four kills for the Blazers.
Junior Shannon Bolton (Shelton, Conn.) dished out 15 assists Elms while senior libero Caitlyn Larvey (Greenfield, Mass.) led all Blazers with 15 digs on the defensive side.
Lesley posted a .189 hitting percentage on the day while Elms struggled to a .019 clip. The Lynx also held advantages in kills, errors, and total attacks over their counterparts.
After a seven match roadtrip, the Lynx will finally return to Cambridge as they host Daniel Webster College on Tuesday, October 7th at 8:00p in more NECC action.