CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University women's volleyball team swept past Southern Vermont College 3-0 this afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference play at the Nicholas Athletics Center. The Lynx used set scores of 25-14, 28-26, and 25-20 to claim their sixth straight win and 11th in their last 12 matches.
Lesley improves to 14-7 on the year remain tied atop the NECC standings with Regis College with a perfect 6-0 conference record. Southern Vermont falls to 2-14 overall and 1-5 in the NECC.
Lynx sophomore Kaylee Deluga (Dennis, Mass.) tied a career-high as she led all players with 20 kills while classmate Ciara Bruning (Centerville, Mass.) added nine. Senior Anthea Rathjens (Sudbury, Mass.) and sophomore Sarah Hollis (Hudson, Mass.) each finished with seven kills while Jess Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) knocked down four kills. Emily Marden (Fremont, Calif.) dished out a match-high 42 kills while also adding five kills and eight digs while Danielle McDonald (Lilitz, Pa.) registered a match-best 17 digs.
Southern Vermont freshman Alycia Stevens (Hudson Falls, N.Y.) led the Mountaineers with a double-double with ten kills and ten digs. Junior Brin Goldman (St. Croix, Virgin Islands) anchored the SVC defense with 13 digs while also adding six kills on the offensive side of the ball. Senior Sheilani Kaleopa (Riverside, Calif.) doled out 14 assists and nine digs.
Holding a slim 11-9 lead midway through the opening set, the Lynx went on a 10-3 run to take a 21-12 lead before rolling to the 25-14 set win. Lesley was hot from the floor as they hit a collective .312 in the set and were led by four kills from Bruning.
The second set would be a different story as the Mountaineers would lead the majority of the way and were one point away of evening the match at 1-1 as they held a 24-23 lead. A kill from Deluga would stave off SVC before the Lynx used a 4-2 spurt to take the second set 28-26.
The Lynx used the momentum built up from their late run in the second set to start the third as they opened up an 11-3 lead before earning the 3-0 match sweep with the 25-20 set win. Deluga powered the offense in the final set as she knocked down eight kills with a .333 hitting percentage.
Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday at 7:00p while the Lynx will head to Regis College for a bout with the Pride while Southern Vermont will play host to Newbury College.