Gordon College Volleyball returned to Kanas Court this afternoon, hosting the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rivals, Western New England (WNE) Golden Bears for their third conference matchup of the season. After drawing out five sets, the Fighting Scots finally sealed the vital CCC win, 3-2.

Valerie Nilan guided the Scots to victory tonight with an overpowering 17 kills, followed by Joey Keltner and Annie Murphy who contributed 12 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Kate Howe recorded 46 assists in the effort.

How It Happened

• WNE got off to a hot start, recording the first four points of the game before a kill from Jordan Shaduk broke up the Golden Bears' rhythm. However, it wasn't enough to deter WNE, as they continued to stay ahead of the Scots before securing the first set, 25-16.
• In the second set, WNE continued their pattern of scoring first, however, this time the Fighting Scots took control, grabbing the 3-1 edge early on. Gordon remained in the lead until the Golden Bears went on a six-point run to bring the score to 12-7 in their favor. The squads ping-ponged points until the Scots rallied to close the gap before Nilan's classic Kill evened out the score, 14-all. However, WNE fought to take back the lead, reaching the match point (24-20) but the Scots refused to go down, as Shaduk came in clutch with a timely kill to tie it up at 24, forcing extra points. After trading points, Keltner gave the Scots the advantage (27-26) with a towering kill before Howe locked in the overtime frame, 28-26 with a kill of her own.
• Fighting Scots continued their momentum heading into the third set, recording the first point and eventually taking another 3-1 lead thanks to a pair of kills from Shaduk. However, WNE was able to regroup to explode with a five-point run (13-7) before the squads went on to trade points. Down by five (13-18), the Fighting Scots dug deep to start a nine-point run (21-18) before the Golden Bears were able to get another point on the board. But the Scots quickly put the third set away after kills from Keltner and Murphy before an ace from Keltner brought the score to 2-1 (25-19). 
• The Golden Bears secured a 7-5 lead in the fourth, however, it didn't last last as the Scots scored eight-points in a row including two aces in a row from the hands of Nikki Batson (13-7). After WNE regrouped with a timeout, the Golden Bears were slowly able to grab the slight edge (17-16) before the Scots broke up their force thanks to a kill from Murphy to come within one (17-18). Both teams battled back and forth, however, it was WNE who came out on top 25-19 to force a fifth set. 
• Murphy got the Scots going in the final set with a powerful kill before WNE scored a trio of points (3-1). The Fighting Scots were able to tack on another point as Nilan smashed one through the floor to close the gap, 2-3, however, the Golden Bears kept their triple attacks going, bringing the score to 6-2 before Gordon called a timeout. The teams battled back and forth before a kill from Emily Schneider catalysed a massive nine-point parade to give the Scots a comfortable 13-9 lead. The Golden Bears attempted to claw their way back to the driver's seat, but another kill from Schneider brought the Scots to match-point before they clinched the overall victory with a 15-12 finale. 

Beyond The Box Score

• Since 2018, the Scots have brought WNE to five sets, three times, all of which the Fighting Scots overcame the Golden Bears.
• The Fighting Scots hit the court again on Thursday, October 6 when they invite the Wheaton College Lyons to Kanas Court for a 7 p.m. non-conference battle.