CONCORD, N.H. – No. 8 NHTI Volleyball earned its second consecutive straight-set victory Monday evening, defeating Holyoke Community College 25-20, 25-17, 25-14 at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center.
The victory improves the Lynx to 10-2 overall while their Yankee Small College Conference record remains 6-2 following the non-conference matchup. Holyoke falls to 5-2 overall after entering Monday having won five of its first six matches.
NHTI controlled the match offensively, finishing with 37 kills while holding Holyoke to 23. The Lynx hit .149 as a team compared to -.010 for the Cougars and finished with 33 assists, five service aces, and 48 digs.
The Lynx were led by a pair of double-double performances from Brooke Kelly (Nottingham, N.H.) and Esther de Souza Quina (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil), who currently lead the YSCC in kills and assists, respectively.
Kelly led NHTI with 12 kills on 29 attacks, hitting .310 while adding 11 digs and two block assists. The performance increased her season total to a YSCC-leading 115 kills, while her 3.38 kills per set rank third in the conference.
De Souza Quina directed the NHTI offense with 31 assists while adding 13 digs and two service aces. The first-year setter now leads the YSCC with 230 assists this season and ranks fourth in the conference with 6.22 assists per set.
Emma Kowalski (Atkinson, N.H.) added eight kills, four digs, and a service ace, while Haven Schwartz (Buxton, N.C.) finished with seven kills, seven digs, and two aces. Brooke Hurlbert (Franklin, N.H.) recorded four kills without an error on 12 attacks for a team-best .333 hitting percentage.
NHTI opened the match with its strongest offensive set of the night, recording 17 kills against four errors for a .325 hitting percentage in a 25-20 victory. Holyoke hit .184 in the opening frame with 10 kills.
The Lynx followed with an 11-kill second set while holding the Cougars to a .000 hitting percentage in a 25-17 win. NHTI then limited Holyoke to three kills against 11 errors and a -.242 hitting percentage in the third, taking the set 25-14 to complete the sweep.
Monday's victory marks NHTI's ninth straight-set win through its first 12 matches of the season. The Lynx have responded to their Sept. 23 loss to Central Maine Community College with consecutive 3-0 victories over York County Community College and Holyoke.
UP NEXT
NHTI continues its five-match homestand Wednesday, Sept. 30, hosting Great Bay Community College in YSCC action at 6 p.m. at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center. The homestand concludes Sunday, Oct. 4, when the Lynx host Central Maine Community College at noon as part of NHTI Homecoming Weekend. Both matches are available to watch live at YSCCSportsNetwork.com.
