Draft 2

UNE Volleyball with a 3-0 Sweep against Suffolk on DIG PINK night

The University of New England women’s volleyball team achieved a complete victory against Suffolk University by winning 3–0 (25–23, 25–18, 25–20) during their Conference of New England match as well as DIG PINK night at Harold Alfond Forum in Biddeford Maine.

The victory brought UNE its second win against Suffolk University while Kelsey Bradshaw achieved her first victory against the Rams during her junior year. The Nor’easters achieved their third conference victory of the season which helped them advance in the NEC standings.

“It feels pretty good,” Bradshaw said. “We went to their house last year, and I felt like we could have played better. Tonight, we did that.”

The first set established the dominant pattern which the Nor’easters maintained throughout the entire match. Both teams maintained a close competition through six equal points and four lead switches. The Nor’easters secured their 25-23 victory through their consistent passing and their late serving attack against Suffolk’s net defense.

The Nor’easters were much better in the second set through their 6-0 service run which created a comfortable lead. The Nor’easters received their offensive rhythm from Bradshaw’s solid passing and court defense while their blocking unit secured crucial stops to win the set 25-18.

“I definitely think offensively, we played a little bit harder,” Bradshaw said. “And then I think we out-blocked them a little bit towards the end of the game. That really picked up. Also, I think our serve receive got better, and our serving runs helped a lot.”

The Nor’easters maintained their great performance throughout the third set. Suffolk started the third set with a 4-0 lead before UNE used their strong serving and defensive stability to fight back. Bradshaw maintained control of the back row by successfully blocking multiple attacks which allowed the team to maintain possession of the ball. The Nor’easters used their transition attacks to win the match 25-20 after Suffolk failed to create open spaces on the court.

The entire team displayed excellent composure and maturity according to Head coach Ian Blanchard during critical situations. “We’ve been talking all season about trusting the system and each other,” Blanchard said. “Tonight, they stayed calm when it mattered most. We executed our game plan and really controlled the match.” 

This complete team victory emerged from their equal distribution of points and their perfect serve reception and defensive excellence. The blocking defense of UNE restricted Suffolk’s hitters while the back row players maintained long rallies to generate momentum for their team.

“Honestly, I think every team right now is pretty even,” Bradshaw added. “It’s just about who makes the least mistakes. Right now we’re feeling good, 3–1. Just keep climbing from there.”

UNE maintains a positive outlook after achieving a 3-1 record while Suffolk falls to 2-3. UNE will continue to improve their performance from this point forward.

The Nor’easters hope to continue their winning streak by playing their next match against Saint Joseph’s Maine on the road on October 15th.