CONCORD, N.H. - NHTI Volleyball continued its unbeaten start to the 2026 season Saturday afternoon, sweeping Vermont State University Randolph 25-12, 25-8, 25-6 in YSCC Volleyball Crossover Weekend action at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center.
The Lynx improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Yankee Small College Conference play with their sixth straight-set victory through seven matches this season.
NHTI's 7-0 start is its best since 2012 and just the second 7-0 start in the program's available records dating back to 2011. The 2012 Lynx began their season 8-0, giving NHTI an opportunity to match that mark in its first match Sunday and surpass it in the second.
Despite Saturday's match being played on its home court, NHTI served as the designated visiting team as part of the neutral-site crossover format.
Set One: NHTI 25, VTSU Randolph 12
The Knights stayed with the Lynx throughout the opening stages of the first set, with the teams tied at 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7.
NHTI began to create separation after taking an 8-7 advantage. Ashlynn Williams (Greenfield, N.H.) followed with three consecutive service aces as the Lynx stretched their lead to 11-7, and a pair of VTSU Randolph attack errors helped extend the run to give NHTI a 14-7 advantage and force a Knights timeout.
Randolph scored the first two points coming out of the break, but Brooke Kelly (Nottingham, N.H.) halted the run with a kill before combining with Emma Kowalski (Salem, N.H.) for a block to push NHTI ahead 16-9.
Kelly added another kill to make it 18-11, and the Lynx steadily pulled away from there. Williams' kill brought NHTI to set point before a Randolph attack error closed the opener, 25-12.
Set Two: NHTI 25, VTSU Randolph 8
NHTI wasted little time taking control of the second set with Kelly opening the frame with a kill before consecutive Randolph attack errors and an Esther de Souza Quina (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil) service ace helped the Lynx race out to a 6-0 advantage.
NHTI continued building the margin, eventually taking a 16-3 lead before back-to-back Kelly service aces made it 18-3.
Haven Schwartz (Buxton, N.C.) followed with a kill, and later connected with de Souza Quina for another to extend the advantage to 21-5. Brooke Hurlbert (Franklin, N.H.) and Kelly each added kills down the stretch before de Souza Quina finished the set with a service ace for a 25-8 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Set Three: NHTI 25, VTSU Randolph 6
The Lynx carried the momentum directly into the third, opening with six unanswered points. Hurlbert recorded a kill during the run before Schwartz delivered a service ace to make it 6-0.
NHTI never allowed Randolph back into the set, holding advantages of 10-3, 14-4 and 18-5 as the Lynx moved closer to their sixth sweep of the season.
A pair of Knights errors pushed NHTI's advantage to 21-6 before Kelly added another kill. The Lynx scored the final seven points of the match, with a Randolph attack error completing the 25-6 set and 3-0 victory.
UP NEXT
NHTI concludes YSCC Crossover Weekend with two matches Sunday at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center. The Lynx face Paul Smith's College at 2 p.m. before taking on Word of Life at 4 p.m.
A victory against Paul Smith's would give NHTI an 8-0 start, matching the best start in the program's available records dating back to 2011. A second victory Sunday would move the Lynx to 9-0 for the first time within that recorded span.
