The Nichols women's volleyball team earned a four-set victory in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) match against the University of New England on Saturday night at the Harold Alfond Forum. With the win, the Bison advanced to 14-8 overall and tacked on their third conference victory of the campaign.
Nichols dropped a tightly contested first set, with both teams neck-and-neck down the stretch. The Nor'easters used a kill from Lauren Davenport at match point to the opening game 25-23.
The Bison popped out to an 11-2 lead in the second set, using kills from four different attackers over that stretch. Nichols never let the hosts get to double-digit points en route to a 25-9 win, tying the match at one-apiece.
To start the third set, Melina Bezati rang off three service aces in a row, followed by a Jayleen Fegan kill which put the Bison in front, 6-1. Leading by just two at 10-8, Nichols used a five-point run, capped off by another Bezati kill, to put the visitors back up by seven. The Bison would hang on to that lead for a 25-20 victory.
Tied at 9-9 in the fourth set, Fegan rattled off three aces as part of a 6-0 run, which placed the Bison in front of UNE, 14-9. Fegan finalized the set with two additional service aces to give Nichols a 25-21 win, advancing their conference ledger to 3-4.
Fegan led the Bison with 10 kills and five service aces while adding 16 digs in the outing. Kya Burdier handed out 24 helpers on offense, while Ryley Plourde commanded the net with six blocks.
Nichols will step away from CCC play in a Tuesday night matchup with Russell Sage at the Nichols Athletic Center, set to start at 7 p.m.
Original source can be found here.