BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University volleyball team opened the 2022 season with a tough 3-2 win over visiting University of New England on Tuesday evening at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears (1-0) won the match by scores of 27-25, 20-25, 25-23, 20-25 and 15-11. The Nor'easters fall to 1-3 with the setback.

Freshman outside hitter Sarah Brogioli (Milford, Mass.) and senior right side Becca Whalen (Plymouth, Mass.) notched ten kills apiece to pace Bridgewater State, while junior libero Victoria Caiano (Acushnet, Mass.) led all players with 21 digs. Brogioli added 19 digs and a pair of aces. Freshman right side Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) and junior middle hitter Abigail Reardon (Fairhaven, Mass.) checked in with four aces apiece with Coutu also recording seven kills and a team-best .312 hitting percentage and Reardon adding three kills and two blocks (one solo). Freshman outside hitter Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) filled the stat sheet with eight kills, two aces, nine digs and two blocks (one solo). Junior setter Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.) and senior setter Savannah Quintal (Assonet, Mass.) combined for 28 assists.

Brogioli, Coutu, Gowell and fellow freshmen Rachel Sebastian-Asbed (St. Louis, Mo.), Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) and Lilah Evans (South Deerfield, Mass.) were all making their collegiate debuts. Sebastian-Asbed finished with six kills and a pair of blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Ellijah Hanley (Haleiwa, Hawaii) led the way for the Nor'easters with a match-best 11 kills to go along with four aces and 15 digs. Sophomore setter Addie Miller (Wilmington, Dela.) dished out a match-high 22 assists and registered four aces and 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Viktoria Pavlyuk (Westfield, Mass.) added ten kills for the visitors while sophomore libero Morgan Lynch (Littleton, Colo.) checked in with 20 digs and three aces.

The opening set was close throughout. The Nor'easters rallied late and tied things up at 25-25 on a kill by Hanley. The Bears, however, received a kill from Coutu and an ace by Quintal to come away with the 27-25 win.

UNE battled back from a 20-18 deficit in the second set as the Nor'easters closed out the stanza with seven straight points including a pair of service aces from sophomore defensive specialist Reese LeMay (Candia, N.H.) and one by Hanley.

The Bears cane away with a 25-23 decision in the third set. A kill by Quintal knotted the score at 23-23 before a UNE attacking error followed by a Reardon ace closed out the set and gave Bridgewater a 2-1 lead.

The Nor'easters used an 8-2 run in the fourth frame to force a decisive fifth set. Leading 16-15, UNE tallied eight of the next ten points to take a commanding 24-17 lead and held on for the 25-20 win.

Bridgewater trailed 10-6 in the deciding fifth set before rallying to win the set and the match. A kill by Reardon jumpstarted an 8-0 BSU run. Sebastian-Asbed notched a pair of kills during the spurt, the second giving the Bears' match-point at 14-10. A kill by Hanley gave the Nor'easter some hope, but a UNE attacking error ended the match.

The two teams combined for 68 attacking errors in the match as well as 27 serving errors. UNE finished with 21 aces on the evening ,while Bridgewater recorded 14 aces.

The Bears are back in action later this week when they compete at the Bonnie May Invitational hosted by Smith College. Bridgewater will take on Regis College on Friday afternoon at five and host Smith on Saturday morning at ten. The Nor'easters head to Worcester State University on Saturday for a tri-match with the host Lancers and Trinity College starting at three o'clock.