DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols women's volleyball team took down Mass. Maritime in straight sets on Wednesday, September 7 at the Nichols Athletics Center, posting a 4-0 record for the first time in program history. The Bison won by the set scores of 25-19, 25-16, 25-11.
 
The Bison got off to a 6-3 lead in the first set, with kills coming from freshmen and sophomore outside hitters Sydney Ball and Luna Colozzo, to go along with an ace from their classmate Kya Burdier during that stretch.
 
Following three-straight Buccaneers points, the first game got as close as two points, with Nichols leading 10-8. Despite this close margin, the visitors failed to catch up to the Bison lead in the opening frame, allowing Nichols to take a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the second set, the score remained close until the Bison jolted out to an 18-13 lead, fueled by a surge in offense from freshman Sydney Ball and junior middle Haylee Granato.
 
Following a Mass. Maritime timeout at 18-13, the Bison got the serve back following a service error but could not return the ball on a Buccaneer attack. On the next rally, freshman setter Ruby St. Onge hooked up with junior middle Ryley Plourde, returning the free ball for a ferocious kill, giving the Bison a commanding 20-14 advantage.
 
Graduate defensive specialist Jenna Savoie rattled off back-to-back aces to finish the set.
 
In the third set, Mass. Maritime was forced into a timeout after a 9-2 opening run by Nichols, in which Colozzo and Granato teamed up for one of the team's two blocks.
 
From there, the Bison only allowed nine additional points en route to the sweep. Nichols hit at a .357 clip on the night and limited their opponents to a .014 hitting percentage. Burdier and St. Onge distributed a total of 30 assists in the contest.

With the win, the Bison advance to 4-0 on the season, marking the best opening record in program history, which dates back to the 2016 season. Head coach Casey Fitzpatrick, in his second season at the helm, looks to surpass last season's win total over the next two matches.
 
Nichols will hit the road for the first time this season on Thursday, September 8, visiting Fisher for a 7 p.m. showdown at Pappas Gymnasium in Brookline, Mass.