BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Carleigh Petersen (North Hills, Calif.) had a double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs while hitting .375 to pace a trio of Gordon College women's volleyball players with double figure kills as the Fighting Scots defeated Wentworth, 3-1, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference match played at Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Fighting Scots improve to 19-9 overall and 6-2 in CCC play while the Leopards fall to 9-16 (1-6).
The opening set saw five ties and a pair of lead changes as it was back and forth throughout the entire set. Wentworth held a 12-9 lead on a senior Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) kill and the Leopards would extend their lead to 15-11 on another Bailey kill. Gordon scored five of the next seven points and tied the set on an ace from freshman Renee Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.). After sophomore Sydney Meyers (Washington, D.C.) gave the hosts a lead with a kill, the Fighting Scots would roll off eight of the next 12 points – with three coming off Petersen kills – to give Gordon the 25-22 win.
Wentworth tied the match at a set apiece with a 25-20 win in the second set. The Leopards jumped out to an early, 7-2 lead with Meyers having a pair of kills. Gordon came back and tied the set at 18-all on a Petersen kill and again at 19-all on a bad set. An attack error and a kill gave the Black & Gold a 21-19 lead before Gordon pulled back within one at 21-20 on a service error. However, that would be as close as the visitors would get as the hosts scored four straight points to take the set.
Gordon cruised to a 25-11 win in the third set on the strength of hitting .467 as a team. The Fighting Scots had an early, 6-4 lead and used a 21-5 run after a Meyers kill to take the set and pull ahead, 2-1.
In the fourth set there were five ties and three lead changes, with the last tie coming at 13-all after a kill from junior Stephanie Nihan (Dracut, Mass.). However, Gordon scored seven of the next eight points and took a 20-14 lead on a senior Jessica Burdick (Brewerton, N.Y.) kill. Wentworth scored the next two points to make it 20-16, however Gordon clinched the match with five straight points.
Junior Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) had 11 kills and four aces while freshman Mackenzie Hinds (Higganum, Conn.) added 10 kills. Burdick had eight kills, junior Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) had 18 digs, and Cooprider had 42 assists.
Bailey had seven kills and 13 digs for the Leopards who also received six kills, six aces, and 10 digs from Meyers, five kills and three blocks from freshman Sarah Hyndman (Encinitas, Calif.), five kills and three blocks from Nihan, three aces, 14 assists, and 15 digs from sophomore Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.), and 14 digs and 10 assists from junior Amanda Hunton (Monroe, N.Y.).
Both teams are in action on Thursday night as Wentworth hosts Simmons and Gordon hosts Salem State.
