CAMBRIDGE, MA – Lesley University knocked off Curry College Thursday night in non-conference women's volleyball play, 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20), at the Nicholas Athletics Center, winning for a second time in three matches.
Lesley's (4-9) Megan Ortwein (Shanghai, China/American School) led all players with a .225 hitting percentage, garnering 11 kills to only two errors on 40 attempts, and Danielle Johnson hit 13 kills to lead all players. Johnson's four service aces tied for match-best honors with Lynx setter Kaitlyn Miller (Leeport, PA/Schulykill), who totaled 31 assists to lead all players.
Defensively, Rachel Frederickson (Marston Mills, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth) led the way with 25 digs, while Johnson and Ortwein finished their double-doubles with 12 and 13, respectively. Alyson Finbow (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) was a force at the net on both ends, leading all players with two solo blocks and chipping in with three error-free kills on five attempts on offense.
For Curry (3-13), Tyla Miller (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) paced all players with 28 digs, Amanda Willette (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield) tied Miller and Johnson with four aces, and Courtney DiBiasio (Coventry, RI/Coventry) led the Colonels with eight kills.
A tightly-played opening set saw five ties by the time Curry took what was then the biggest lead at 10-7 with DiBiasio serving. The Lynx tied the game at 12-12 on back-to-back Curry errors before four straight points capped by two straight Kendra LeMay (Chicopee, MA/Holyoke Catholic) kills opened a 16-12 lead that set the Colonels apart for good in their only win of the night, 25-20.
A 6-1 Lynx run compliments of four early Colonels errors opened Game 2. After a timeout from Curry head coach Roberta Stannard, consecutive Colonels kills made it a 6-3 game, but it would be as close as the visitors came in the second set. A pair of Johnson kills in a 7-2 run opened up a 13-5 Lynx lead, too much to overcome in Lesley's 25-17 win.
With Curry leading 4-3 to start the third set, consecutive Ortwein kills on feeds from Miller capped a pivotal 4-0 run that pulled the Lynx ahead, 7-4, forcing a Stannard timeout. A Lynx service error and DiBiasio ace out of the timeout cut the lead to 7-6, but a stingy Lynx squad refused to relinquish the advantage.
Four different players turned in kills over a 7-2 run that turned a 7-6 game into a 14-8 lead. Curry fought back, with a DiBiasio kill and Willette ace cutting the margin to 16-15 and leading Lynx head coach Tricia Lawler to use a timeout, after which Ortwein took over with five kills in an 8-2 game-ending run that put the Lynx ahead 2-1 on the night.
Lesley hit .237 for the frame, easily the best for either team all night, totaling 12 kills to only three errors over 38 tries.
Curry scored three of the first four points to open the fourth before an 8-0 Lynx run starting with a kill from senior Kayla Henry (Saratoga Springs, NY/Central Catholic) that continued with Henry at served for the next seven points put the match away. Johnson totaled six of her match-high 13 kills in the fourth, including one out of a Lawler timeout that forced match point at 24-19, and Lesley held on to win 25-20.
For the night, Lesley .113 as a team, while Curry hit .106.
The Lynx win for a second time in two matches, with Miller eclipsing 30 assists in both wins and Ortwein hitting .225 or better in all of the last three.
Defensively, Lawler's club was led by
Lesley returns to play in New England Collegiate Conference action on Saturday, playing host to Bay Path College. Curry has the weekend off before taking on Anna Maria Tuesday night at 6.