91社区

The 91社区 volleyball team snapped a three-match losing streak with a win over Providence College in America East action at West Gym on Oct. 9. The Bearcats (9-12, 1-3 AE) defeated the Friars (6-15, 1-3 AE) in four sets, 25-19, 22-25, 25-12, 25-22, to earn their first conference victory. 91社区 continued its dominant play against Providence, pushing their win streak over the Friars to four.

鈥淲e knew going into the match this was an important game, so it鈥檚 good to get the win,鈥� head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. 鈥淚 thought our defense played very well today and our serving really helped us out. We made some smart decisions today and we鈥檙e continuing to improve, which is always a good thing.鈥�

With sophomore Grace Vickers back in the lineup, after missing the past two matches with an ankle injury, the Bearcats returned to form. Vickers ignited the Bearcats to the tune of 17 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. The 17 kills tied a career high for Vickers, which she registered two week ago at Cornell.

In the early going of the first set both teams were feeling each other out, as a kill from Vickers gave 91社区 a slim 6-5 lead. Providence kept the set close thanks to errors by the Bearcats, eventually knotting up the frame at 10. 91社区 began to pull away after a kill by junior Alex Roland gave 91社区 a 17-13 advantage. The Friars attempted to chip away at the Bearcats鈥� lead, cutting the deficit to three 21-18, but Vickers put down a pair of terminations to end the frame 25-19.

91社区 seemed to have control of the second set, forcing Providence to use their second timeout of the stanza late in the frame. The break in play worked as the Friars went on a 6-0 run to take a 23-22 lead. 91社区 was unable to gain back the momentum as a service error coupled with a Providence ace completed the set 25-22 in favor of the Friars.

The Bearcats got off to quick start in the third set, taking a 10-3 advantage. Freshman Emily Litwin held the serve for seven straight points allowing the cushion to grow. 91社区 continued to pour it on as a pair of Amanda Dettmann service aces made the count 16-7.  91社区 closed out the frame 25-12 in part to a couple of late Annelot Nieuwenhuis kills. A stout Bearcats defense held the Friars to a negative hitting percentage for the set.

The Bearcats completed the four-set victory after a hotly contested final set. A rare service ace by freshman Kristin Hovie gave 91社区 a 10-7 lead. Providence continued to stay within striking distance, trimming 91社区鈥檚 lead to one several times. Kiriyama鈥檚 young team displayed its poise however, receiving back-to-back kills from Hovie and Nieuwenhuis to push the lead back to four, 22-18. The Friars again sliced the lead to two, but a kill from senior Julie Chambers ended the match and Providence鈥檚 chances of a comeback.

Freshman setter Amanda Dettmann had the Bearcats鈥� offense running on all cylinders, quarterbacking the unit to a .259 hitting percentage and handing out 47 assists. Dettmann contributed to the solid hitting clip with eight kills of her own, as well as nine digs. Dettmann helped four Bearcats reach double-digit kills for the fifth time this season.

Joining Vickers with steady offensive performances were Hovie, Roland and Nieuwenhuis. Hovie put down 12 terminations while Roland tallied 10 of her own. Nieuwenhuis set a career-high with ten kills as she filled in for an injured Iva Partaleva. Sophomore libero Xiomara Ortiz recorded a match-high 20 digs for the Bearcats, hitting the 20-dig mark for the sixth time this season.