Falcons Splits Tri-Match With New England College & Northern Vermont-Lyndon

Fitchburg State drops 3-0 decision to Pilgrims: Defeats Hornets 3-0 to earn split

Henniker, N.H. – The Fitchburg State University women's volleyball team opened its 2018 season today, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Pilgrims of New England College before earning a 3-0 victory over the Hornets of Northern Vermont-Lyndon at the Bridges Gymnasium on the campus of New England College.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, New England College 3

Records: Fitchburg State (0-1) | New England College (1-0)

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Northern Vermont-Lyndon 0

Records: Fitchburg State (1-1), Northern Vermont-Lyndon (0-1)

How It Happened

Game One (NEC)

Fitchburg State opened the day, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Pilgrims of New England College as senior Jaquelyn Manyak (Bolton, Mass./Nashoba Regional) led the way with a team-best six assists and one dig, while junior Emily Beauvais (Haverhill, Mass./Winchendon School) registered four kills and three digs. Rounding out the top efforts for the Green and Gold in the opening match was sophomore Jessica Peirce (Brentwood, N.H./Exeter) with four service aces, one kill and three digs.

Game Two (NVL)

The Falcons secured the split on the day, defeating the Hornets of Northern Vermont, 3-0 with newcomer Meredith Taylor (Reading, Mass./Reading) pacing Fitchburg State with a match-leading 13 assists, eight service aces and one dig, while sophomore Paige Anderson (Winchendon, Mass./Winchendon School) added seven kills, one service ace and three digs. Senior Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.) was also solid for the Falcons, posting three kills, two service aces and four digs in the victory.

Inside the Numbers

This afternoon's contest marks the third meeting between the two schools on the volleyball court with the Falcons 0-3 all-time when taking on the Pilgrims.

Fitchburg State dropped a 3-0 decision to New England College on Oct. 3, 2017 in the last meeting with Pilgrims at the Bridges Gymnasium as sophomore middle hitter Lauren Riccardi led the way for the Green and Gold, posting eight kills and two digs in the setback.

This afternoon's contest marks the first ever meeting between the Falcons and the Hornets on the volleyball court.

Up Next

Falcons will host the Lynx the Lesley University on Tuesday for their 2018 home opener, starting at 5:00 PM. Pilgrims will host the Chargers of Colby Sawyer on Wednesday at 7:00 pm, while the Hornets will travel to Southern Vermont College on Sunday for a 10:00 match.