QUINCY, Mass. – Freshman J'ena Baker (Rockledge, Fla.) tallied a match-high 16 kills in Nichols College's 3-1 loss at Eastern Nazarene College Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Lahue PE Center.
 
Bakr also added four service aces and two blocks (one solo). Sophomore Sabrina Boermeester (Billerica, Mass.) collected nine kills and a team-high 15 digs while freshman Jayla Simmons (Rockledge, Fla.) led all student-athletes with 17 digs. Freshman Megan Gardner (South Deerfield, Mass.) handed out a career-high 28 assists.
 
Senior Joanna Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) led the Lions with nine kills to go with a pair of blocks. Junior Kayla Dean (Lansdale, Pa.) chipped in with six kills, three service aces and 11 digs while freshman Courtney McCarthy (Merrimack, N.H.) also recorded six kills on the night. Junior Lauryl Berger (Laurel, Del.) notched 26 assists, nine digs and three kills in the contest. Sophomore Monica Ly (Quincy, Mass.) paced Eastern Nazarene defensively with 16 digs.
 
The Lions won game one, 25-19, and game two, 25-20. Nichols rallied back to win the third set, 25-13, behind six kills from Baker, nine assists from Gardner, and five digs from Simmons. Eastern Nazarene rebounded to close out the match with a 29-27 win in game four. Baker picked up five digs in the final frame while Joseph had three to lead the Lions.
 
All-Time Series
Tonight's match marked the first-ever meeting between Nichols College and Eastern Nazarene College. With the victory, the Lions take a 1-0 lead in the series.
 
Next Match
Nichols (4-12, 0-5 CCC) – Thursday, October 13 @ Pine Manor, 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Nazarene (5-13, 1-4 CCC) – Saturday, October 15 vs Curry, 11:00 a.m.