NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier women's volleyball team cruised past non-conference opponent Worcester St, 3-0, Thursday evening at the Muldoon Center.
With the win, The Raiders jumped to 8-8 overall, while the Lancers dropped to 1-15.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rivier took control early in the opening set, turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-2 lead behind a kill from senior Sam Driend and a service ace from junior Savannah Dunne. The Raiders continued to build their advantage, moving ahead 7-3 before Worcester St. answered with three straight points to pull within 7-6. Rivier responded with a strong stretch, using four kills from first-year Ashlee Salafia to extend the lead to 13-7. The Lancers trimmed the deficit to 15-9, but the Raiders maintained their momentum, pushing the margin to 22-12. Worcester St. scored three consecutive points late, but Rivier closed out the set, 25-18, on a Dunne kill.
- Rivier carried its momentum into the second set, building a 7-3 advantage behind kills from sophomore Fiona Rexford, Salafia, Driend, and Dunne. Worcester St. responded with three straight points to cut the deficit to 7-6 once again, but the Raiders regained control and extended their lead to 15-8 with kills from first-year Ava Pohopek and junior Lily Seibel and an ace from sophomore Reagan Pepin. The Lancers mounted a rally, scoring eight of the next 10 points to pull within 17-16. Rivier answered with a Salafia kill and another from Dunne to maintain its advantage before closing the set with five consecutive points. Pepin contributed a service ace during the final stretch and Pohopek finished the frame with a kill to secure another 25-18 victory for the Raiders.
- Rivier opened the third set with three straight points, including kills from Salafia and Dunne, before Worcester St. responded to tie the frame at 3-3. The Raiders rebuilt their lead to 7-3, but the Lancers continued to battle, pulling within 7-6 and later tying the set at 9-9. Rivier answered by earning three of the next four points to move ahead 12-9 and continued to extend its advantage, reaching 19-14 following consecutive Worcester St. attack errors. The Raiders maintained control down the stretch, with kills from Driend, sophomore Emma Zeblisky and junior Annabelle Lozzi helping the team reach match point. Junior Lucero Rullan-Irizarry then delivered back-to-back service aces to close out the set, 25-16, completing the 3-0 sweep.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Driend paced the offence with 12 kills and a .360 hitting percentage.
- Dunne added 10 kills and a .316 hitting percentage
- Salafia finished with nine kills and hit at a .273 clip.
- Seibel and Pepin dished out 18 and 13 assists, respectively.
- Senior Lacey Turner led the team with 10 digs.
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to the court Saturday, Oct. 10 for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match with Saint Joseph's (Me.). The opening serve is scheduled for noon at the Muldoon Center.
