DUDLEY, Mass. (9/29/23) – The Nichols College women's volleyball team got things back on track on Friday evening after blanking non-conference opponent Massachusetts Maritime Academy in straight sets, 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-11) at the Nichols Athletic Center.

With the win, the Bison improve to 10-4 (0-1 CCC) on the season. Massachusetts Maritime drops to 3-10 (0-1 MASCAC) on the season with the loss.

Ryley Plourde paced the Bison with a match-best .587 hitting percentage and nine kills.  It marked her eighth double-double of the season. Two other Bison notched match-best numbers in the effort, with sophomore Kya Burdier handing out 24 assists and five digs, and Liz Diorio chalking up 14 digs.

The Bison dominated right from the get-go, storming out of the gate with a 9-0 run that featured three service aces by first-year defensive specialist Cassie Durocher. The Bison continued to surge from there, climbing ahead to as much as a 20-9 advantage. Nichols then went on to close out the first set, 25-12.

The Bison dominance continued into the second set, as the hosts jumped ahead by an 8-1 margin with the help of four Mass-Maritime attacking errors. However, the Buccaneers would not go so quietly this time around as they outscored the Bison by an 11-3 margin, granting them their first lead of the night at 15-14. To follow, Nichols rebounded with a 4-0 run that saw a pair of kills by Plourde, putting the hosts back in front by a 18-15 score. The Buccaneers continued to apply pressure late in the set with a final 3-0 run to pull to within one point, but the Bison would emerge victorious in round two, 25-22.

Despite hanging with Nichols early on in the third set, the Bison once again scored in bunches to distance themselves on the scoreboard. Five unanswered points, fueled by another trio of Buccaneer errors, helped Nichols along to a 12-5 lead, which would later turn into a decisive 24-8 gap off of a 9-0 run. As a result, the Bison would secure the match win by a 25-11 score in the third frame.

Nichols women's volleyball will be back in action on Wednesday, October 4^th hosting Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent Roger Williams University, with opening serve set for 7:00 PM at the Nichols Athletic Center.