CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Southern Vermont College junior Jessica Delgado (Los Angeles, Calif.) registered 13 kills to lead the Mountaineer attack as the visitors earned a 3-0 win over the Lesley University Lynx in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's volleyball action Saturday afternoon at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols.
Southern Vermont (10-8, 7-1 NECC) has wrapped up the top slot and will now host the NECC semifinal and championship rounds next weekend while Lesley (9-16, 5-3) will be the No. 5 seed in the tournament slated to start this week.
The Mountaineers clinched their third-straight NECC Regular Season Championship with set scores of 25-20, 25-13, and 25-23.
Delgado hit .256 from the floor while senior Carrie Baltazar (Whittier, Calif.) and junior Marissa Flores (Azusa, Calif.) each chipped in with eight kills. Senior libero Vanessa Ruelas (Paramount, Calif.) was fantastic on the defensive end, digging out a match-high 18 balls while sophomore setter Sheilani Kaleopa (Riverside, Calif.) led all players with 31 assists.
Senior Katrina Stroganoff (Cedar Grove, N.J.) led the Lynx, slamming down a team-high 12 kills to go with her 17 digs. Junior Anthea Rathjens (Sudbury, Mass.) and sophomore Jessie Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) each knocked in five kills while junior setter Danielle Johnson (Waterford, Conn.) dished out a team-high 22 assists. Sophomore libero Danielle McDonald (Lilitz, Pa.) was credited with 12 digs for the Lynx.
With the first set notched at 12-12, the Mountaineers went on a 10-5 run to open things up on their way to the 25-20 win. Baltazar recorded two kills during the streak while Flores connected for two aces to pace the attack.
The visitors continued that momentum in the second set as they rolled to a 25-13 win. The Lynx held a 5-3 edge early on, but the Mountaineers got hot from the floor as they hit .360 in the set. Flores, Baltazar, and Delgado all had three kills in the set while freshman Brin Goldman (Christiansted, Virgin Islands) added two.
The third set was tight throughout as the teams were tied four separate times. Late in the set with the score 19-19, Southern Vermont took advantage of two Lynx errors and a Baltazar kill to push ahead 22-19. Lesley made a late push with back-to-back Stroganoff kills, but the visitors held on as a Flores kill ended the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Before the start of the contest, Lesley honored Stroganoff, their lone senior, for her dedication to the Lynx volleyball program. Stroganoff leads the team with 217 kills this season and is second on the team with 280 digs.
Lesley will travel to Daniel Webster College on Tuesday for an NECC first round affair. The Lynx will look to avenge a loss to the Eagles when they dropped a tight 3-0 contest in Nashua, N.H. on October 1. Earning the top seed and a first round bye, Southern Vermont will have a close eye on that matchup as they will host the winner on Friday, November 1.