Harkless Leads Bay Path to Split with Lesley and Mitchell Taking First NECC Win
Lesley wins two, while Mitchell falls in both conference matches
Game One: Bay Path 3 Mitchell 0 (25-23, 25-18,
25-20)
Game Two: Lesley 3 Mitchell 1 (23-25,
25-20, 25-22, 25-14)
Game Three: Lesley 3 Bay Path 0 (25-15,
25-21, 25-14)
HOLYOKE, Mass.—Junior middle hitter Nadine Harkless (Westfield, Mass.) helped propel the Wildcats of Bay Path to their first conference victory over the Mariners of Mitchell College in a 3-0 sweep for the first match of the day. Harkless had 19 kills and 19 digs for the day hitting a .265 attack percentage averaging 3.17 digs and kills per set. Bay Path won the first match 25-23, 25-18, 25-20. Lesley prevailed on the day taking both New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) matches 3-1 and 3-0. The Lynx took the second match 23-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-14 over Mitchell while cruising through the Wildcats in the final match 25-15, 25-21 and 25-14.
In the first match, Harkless hit a sizzling .400 with 12 kills and chipped in 10 digs. Freshman right side hitter Kate Bartels (Dalton, Mass.) added eight kills, three assists, four service aces, three digs and three blocks. Sophomore setter Ashley Provost (Ludlow, Mass.) hit .571 with four great dumps for the Wildcats. She tallied 21 assists and 12 digs, leading the team defensively.
Mitchell's senior outside hitter Stephanie McKeon (Ledyard, Conn.) topped the Mariners' with nine kills and seven digs. She finished with a .250 attack percentage. Senior setter Jennifer Bordonaro (Winsted, Conn.) led their offense with 19 assists while chipping in seven digs. Sophomore libero Samantha Alevras-Tarbell (Livingston, N.J.) had impressive defensive numbers finishing with 17 digs.
In the second match, the Mariners managed to take the momentum into the first set taking it 25-23 from the Lynx. Lesley would then turn around and win the next six sets for the day. Bordonaro finished with 26 assists, nine digs and 3 kills. McKeon and Alevras-Tarbell combined for 29 digs for the match. Offensively sophomore middle hitter Akesia Bernard (Hartford, Conn.) led the charge with ten kills hitting .261 for the four sets.
The Lynx sophomore middle hitter Amanda McCracken (Eldersburg, Md.) was the force to be reckoned with today for Lesley as she was unstoppable in the middle slot. She slammed a .600 hitting percentage tallying 21kills while pitching in a three match high seven blocks. Sophomore setter Kaitlyn Miller (Leesport, Penn.) led the offense with an impressive 50 assists. She added nine digs and four service aces. Miller and McCracken proved to be a vital two-some for the Lynx offensive threat.
Senior outside hitter Meaghan Chadwick (Chelmsford, Mass.) also hit in double figures with 13 kills for the Lynx.
In the final game, unfortunately the break proved to be too much as the Lynx continued on with their momentum and downed the Wildcats in three straight sets. McCracken again led the Lyn with 18 kills and an amazing .630 attack percentage. Chadwick led her team with 12 digs, while Miller had 33 assists. Sophomore Megan Ortwein (Shanghai, China) tallied ten kills for the match.
Harkless led the way for the Wildcats with seven kills and nine digs. Provost finished with 14 assists.
Bay Path is now 4-7 overall and 1-1 in the NECC, while Lesley is 7-6 overall and a perfect 2-0 in conference play. Mitchell fell to 3-7 on the season a 0-2 in the NECC. Bay Path will be back in action travelling to Albertus Magnus on October 10th at 11:00 a.m. also facing Curry in a tri-match at 1:00 p.m.
