Box Score New London, NH - The Husson University women's volleyball team came into Friday night's North Atlantic Conference semifinal match looking to earn a birth in the championship for the first time since 2010.
The fourth-seed Eagles faced a tall task in their opponent, the number-one seed Colby-Sawyer College Chargers, who ended up being too much for Husson in the end as they swept the match in straight sets (25-6, 25-16, 25-12).
Colby-Sawyer (21-10) moves on to face Maine Maritime Academy in the NAC championship tomorrow morning. Husson ends their season at 11-19.
The Chargers controlled the match most of the way through, and hit at an astounding .326 average as a team (40 kills on 89 attacks with 11 errors).
Service-receive was a bugaboo for Husson in the match, as Colby-Sawyer was able to post 11 aces.
"We played well as a team, much improved compared to the last time we played them, but we had numerous errors and their hitting was too tough," Husson coach Jodie Fairbank said after the match. "But we played scrappy and fought hard."
Colby-Sawyer was led by Emilee McBride and Stephanie Vecchio, who each tallied 11 kills. Courtney O'Hara added eight kills for the winners, while Jackie Keating posted six kills and a match-high 11 digs. Laura Smolinski passed out 34 assists for the Chargers.
Husson was led by Lindsay Chapman (Gorham, ME) with three kills and six digs. Kristen Atwood (Cumberland, ME) and Alexandra deHertogh (Cumberland, RI) each added two kills, with Atwood also having a team-high seven digs. Casey Lopes (New Bedford, MA) notched seven assists and six digs for the Eagles.
As the 2013 campaign comes to a close, Husson Volleyball's future is bright. They had no seniors on the roster, and received great contributions from numerous young players. This year's team consisted of just one junior, three sophomores, and ten first-year players.
"They have come so far from the preseason in August. Being such a young team, they will do great things in the future," Fairbank reflected after tonight's match.
