WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball dropped the first set, before taking three straight in a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 26-24) NEWMAC win over Salve Regina University at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Blue improved to 7-6 on the season and 2-2 in NEWMAC competition. The Seahawks fall to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in conference competition.

Senior Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) tallied 19 kills and 13 digs for Wellesley. Sophomore Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) assisted on a career-best 48 kills. Junior Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.) recorded a 10 kill, 10 dig double-double. First-year Natalie Dabrowski (Chicago, Ill.) rocked 11 kills with a .400 hitting percentage in addition to four total blocks. Junior Caroline Meyer (Indianapolis, Ind.) tied a personal-best 17 digs.

Sophomore Anouk Jansen (Queen Creek, Ariz.) and first-year Francesca Spadorcia (Braintree, Mass.) each hit double figures in kills for the Seahawks. Junior Madelyn Homer (North Easton, Mass.) led all individuals with 22 digs while sophomore Kalena Stavish (Upper Saddle Ridge, N.J.) added 22 assists.

Salve Regina led 22-13 before Wellesley nearly staged a comeback. The Blue took nine of 10 points to cut the deficit to a single point. A Spadorcia kill helped the visitors stave off the comeback effort, 25-23.

The Blue came out hungry in the second set, up 11-4 early. The Seahawks briefly made it interesting at 19-15 but K. Kunze-Hoeg and sophomore Sarah Jin (San Jose, Calif.) had kills that ensured Wellesley wouldn't falter in a 25-18 set.

Wellesley once again put space between itself and the opponent in the third, utilizing a 3-0 run to take a 17-11 advantage. A big 5-0 showing late in the set made it 23-15 and a Hill kill closed it out.

Salve led 5-1 in the fourth and final frame. The Blue raced back to even it up at 6-6 but the Seahawks didn't go quietly, making it 13-9. The hosts tied it back up and then the set became a tug of war between the sides, with neither able to wrestle a large lead away. At 23-23 a service error gave the Seahawks a set point. However, kills from K. Kunze-Hoeg and Hill swung the momentum and a set point back to the Blue. Ultimately a bad Salve Regina set proved the final straw in a 26-24 victory for Wellesley. 

Each team next competes in a NEWMAC matchup on Tuesday, October 7. The Blue play at Coast Guard Academy at 7:00 PM while the Seahawks host MIT at 6:00 PM.