Gordon Tough in 3-0 Loss to Hawks

WENHAM, Massachusetts — Roger Williams spoiled Gordon's Homecoming opener by taking a close 3-0 match in Commonwealth Coast Conference volleyball action. The Hawks won the first two sets by a combined five points before handling the Scots in the final frame to pull off the sweep on Friday evening at the Bennett Center.

The Hawks improve to 10-7 on the season and stay undefeated in conference play at 3-0. Gordon falls to 9-8 and 2-2 in the CCC.

The opening set saw both teams wrestle for control of the tempo, but neither getting enough momentum to pull away. Gordon held a slight 12-9 advantage through the first half of the set thanks in part to an efficient offensive attack.

However, Roger Williams gritted through the tough points down the stretch to tie things at 22 points
aside. Hawks' senior Kristen Neff (Delmar, N.Y.) kick started a mini run for Roger Williams with a kill and Cassandra Minogue (Manorville, N.Y.) ended it with a pair of service aces to take the set 25-22.

The Hawks built up a big lead late in the second set at 20-12, forcing Gordon to take its final timeout of the frame. The coaching maneuver worked wonder for the young Scots, as they rattled off nine of the next 10 points, including six in a row, to tie the set at 21 points. Roger Williams found enough in the waning points to gut out a 25-23 victory and put Gordon on the brink of a loss.

Roger Williams controlled the third and final set from the very beginning. A flurry of Hawks' kills gave them a 13-5 lead early on, but Gordon made one final push. The Scots closed the gap to two points at 17-15, but Roger Williams rallied off eight consecutive points to hand Gordon its second conference defeat.

A spread attack of Neff, Elizabeth Flaherty (Sloatsburgh, N.Y.) and Kristen Boyer (Ephrata, Pa.) combined for 26 of Roger Williams' 34 kills in the match. Nicole Weber (Poulsbo, Wash.) had a near flawless game with 31 assists, while libero Maria Batas (Merrick, N.Y.) had 21 digs.

The Hawks also dished out 12 service errors compared to only five earned by the Fighting Scots.

Carleigh Petersen (North Hills, Calif.) and Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) led Gordon's attack with nine and eight kills respectively. Freshman setter Renee Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) had 23 assist. Three Gordon defenders put up double-digit digs—Petersen, Kristen Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio).

Roger Williams heads to Endicott tomorrow for a 1 p.m. tip. Gordon continues its home stand on Wednesday when they host Western New England for another conference match.