CONCORD, N.H. – NHTI Volleyball concluded its 2026 regular season with a 12-4 overall record and an 8-4 mark in Yankee Small College Conference play, finishing third in the YSCC East Division standings as the Lynx turn their attention to postseason competition next week.

Under third-year head coach Toni Bailon (Manchester, N.H.), NHTI opened the season with eight consecutive victories, matching the best start in the program's available records dating back to 2011. The Lynx matched the 2012 team's 8-0 opening with a three-set victory over Paul Smith's College on Sept. 20 during YSCC Volleyball Crossover Weekend.

Seven of NHTI's first eight victories came in straight sets, including a 3-0 sweep of Southern Maine Community College on Sept. 10. The victory proved to be the Seawolves' only loss of the regular season, as Southern Maine finished atop the YSCC East at 15-1 overall and 11-1 in conference play. NHTI also pushed Southern Maine to five sets in the teams' second meeting on Oct. 8. NHTI was the only opponent to win multiple sets against Southern Maine in a single match, accomplishing the feat twice.

NHTI hosted YSCC Volleyball Crossover Weekend from Sept. 18-20, finishing 3-1 across four matches against YSCC West opponents. The Lynx's lone loss came in five sets against Word of Life Bible Institute, the YSCC West regular-season champion, in the weekend finale.

The Lynx recorded 11 straight-set victories overall, while also earning a five-set victory over Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences during Crossover Weekend and a nonconference sweep of Holyoke Community College (Sept. 28), which won the NJCAA Northeast Division Volleyball Championship in 2025.

NHTI celebrated Sophomore Night on Sept. 30, honoring Brooke Kelly (Nottingham, N.H.) and Mia Parker (Mont Vernon, N.H.) before sweeping Great Bay Community College at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center. The Lynx later closed the regular season with another 3-0 victory over Great Bay in Portsmouth on Oct. 14, improving to 8-0 all-time against the rival Herons without dropping a set across the eight meetings.

The Lynx entered the season with a roster composed predominantly of first-year student-athletes, led by captains Kelly and Brooke Hurlbert (Franklin, N.H.). Prior to the start of regular-season competition, NHTI welcomed former players back to the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center for an alumni exhibition match on Aug. 27.

"The success of our season has been due to the leadership of our captains and the talent of the incoming freshman," Bailon said. "The captains know what it takes to get to a championship after last season. The majority of our line up has had to adapt to a new position or role, but did so for the betterment of the team. We're working on training our stamina and mental game for long set matches."

The Lynx have reached the YSCC Final Four in each of the last two seasons under Bailon, including an appearance in the 2025 YSCC Championship against Southern Maine. NHTI also fell to the Seawolves in the 2024 semifinals before Southern Maine went on to capture the conference championship.

Rhiana Decosta (Pembroke, N.H.) and Alissa Hamberg (Tilton, N.H.) served as assistant coach and volunteer coach/team manager, respectively. Hired in July 2026, Decosta is an NHTI alumna who competed in both volleyball and women's basketball for the Lynx.

National Recognition and Individual Leaders
NHTI entered the USCAA Division II national rankings in Week 2, released Sept. 23, tied for No. 8 following an 8-1 start to the season.

Kelly led the Lynx with 174 kills and a YSCC-best 3.55 kills per set, while ranking second in the conference in total kills and points (219). Her 3.55 kills per set and 4.47 points per set both ranked second nationally in USCAA Division II.

Kelly also led the YSCC with 31 total blocks, including a conference-high 24 block assists, while ranking eighth nationally with 0.63 blocks per set. She earned two YSCC Player of the Week selections (Weeks 2 and 5), along with USCAA Division II Player of the Week honors for Week 5.

First-year setter Esther de Souza Quina (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil) led NHTI with 328 assists, ranking third in the YSCC, while her 6.31 assists per set ranked fourth. She also led the conference with 47 service aces and ranked ninth nationally in USCAA Division II with 0.90 aces per set.

De Souza Quina was named both the YSCC Player of the Week and USCAA Division II Specialist of the Week for Week 3.

NHTI featured four of the YSCC's top five players in block assists. Kelly led the conference with 24, while Emma Kowalski (Atkinson, N.H.) ranked second with 16. De Souza Quina finished tied for third with 15, while Ashlynn Williams (Greenfield, N.H.) rounded out the top five with 14.

Defensively, five Lynx finished among the top 12 in the YSCC in digs. Kelly led NHTI with 173, placing fourth in the conference. Hurlbert ranked fifth in the conference with 169, while Haven Schwartz (Buxton, N.C.) followed closely in sixth with 168 digs. De Souza Quina placed 11th in the YSCC with 155 digs and Williams rounded out the top 12, with 149.

While NHTI relied primarily on its regular starting lineup (Kelly, Hurlbert, Kowalski, Williams, de Souza Quina and Schwartz), Lina Huynh (Manchester, N.H.) made her mark on several of the season's matches. She played all three sets at York County Community College on Sept. 17, totaling two kills and a service ace, and had another two-kill match versus the Hawks on Sept. 26 in Concord. Addison Delotto (Derry, N.H.) also appeared off the bench, most notably during YSCC Crossover Weekend, where she tallied a career-high four digs vs. Paul Smith's College (Sept. 20) in match three of the event and recorded her first kill in the finale of the weekend against Word of Life (Sept. 20).

NHTI led the YSCC in several team statistical categories, including total blocks (65), block assists (78), and blocks per set (1.25). The Lynx recorded 38 more block assists than second-place Southern Maine and finished 11 blocks ahead of Central Maine Community College, which ranked second in total blocks. NHTI also led the conference in total digs (937) and digs per set (18.02).

The Lynx ranked second in the YSCC with 176 service aces and third with 3.38 aces per set. NHTI also finished third in total points (731), while ranking fourth in kills (490), assists (441), and hitting percentage (.119).

NHTI's .119 hitting percentage exceeded its opponents' .060 mark, while the Lynx recorded 84 more service aces (176-92) and 24 more total blocks (65-41) than their opponents.

The Lynx also averaged 1.6 reception errors per set, compared with 3.0 by their opponents.

Looking Ahead
NHTI now turns its attention to the YSCC postseason, set to begin next week. Additional information regarding the Lynx's playoff matchup will be announced when available. The match will be available to watch live, and a viewing link will be provided when additional information becomes available.