DUDLEY, Mass. (11/4/23) - The Nichols College women's volleyball team closed out its season on Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 3-0 (22-25, 21-25, 24-26) Commonwealth Coast Conference loss to The University of New England at the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Bison wrap up the 2023 campaign with a 15-11 (1-7 CCC) overall record, while the Nor'easters improve to 14-8 (3-5 CCC) with their own regular season coming to a close.

With Saturday being senior day for Nichols, it was only fitting that senior outside hitter Haylee Granato led the Bison with eight kills and eight digs in the effort, as well as a .273 hitting percentage. Fellow senior Liz Diorio led the Bison defensive effort with a match-best 23 digs, while sophomore Ruby St. Onge registered a team-best 19 assists.

Despite Nichols opening with a 6-2 lead, the first set would be an all-out war between the Bison and the Nor'easters. From a 13-13 tie, the Bison managed to pull away slightly with a short 3-0 run, but in turn could not halt any UNE response as the score wound up tied again at 20-all. As the set closed out, the Nor'easters surged their way to victory by rolling off four straight points to claim the win by a 25-22 score.

In the second set, Nichols found themselves in an early pickle as UNE came out and grabbed the lead at 19-8. Nichols then answered by rattling off eight of the next 10 points scored, which included a Granato kill and Cassie Durocher service ace, to bring the score to 21-16. The effort would continue the remainder of the set for the Bison, but the early deficit proved costly as Nichols surrendered the set by a 25-21 score, falling down 2-0 in the match. 

The fierce fight continued into the third set as both squads traded points out of the gate before back-to-back kills by Granato and Maille Ianniruberto gave the Bison a 15-12 cushion. The Nor'easters then pieced together a 4-1 run over the Bison to tie the score back up at 16-16, paving the way for a showcase finish in the third. The two teams then continued to score points in pairs, working up to a 24-24 tie at the end of the set. Including the point to tie the score at 24-all, UNE would snag the final three points of the match on two kills and a service ace, completing the sweep by a 26-24 final score in the third.