WENHAM, Mass. (9/28/24) – The Nichols College women's volleyball team opened their Conference of New England slate with a 3-0 () loss at Gordon College on Saturday afternoon inside the Bennett Center.

The Bison fall to 2-7 (0-1 CNE) on the season, while the Fighting Scots improve to 5-6 (1-0 CNE).

Senior Luna Colozzo paced the Bison offense with eight kills on the afternoon. Sophomore Maille Ianniruberto added seven kills on .500 hitting, while senior Ruby St. Onge dished out 13 assists, six digs, and two service aces. Junior Kya Burdier led the Bison defensive effort with 11 digs.

From the opening serve, the first set was a back-and-forth affair. With the score tied at 13-13, Gordon pulled in front 16-13 with a quick 3-0 run, but then fell behind just as quickly as the Bison responded with a 6-0 run to make it a 19-16 score. The roller coaster ride continued up until set point with Nichols leading 24-23, but Gordon would emerge triumphant by way of a tiebreak, winning with three unanswered points.

In the second set, the Bison cruised out to an early 9-5 lead behind five kills and one service ace. Gordon answered back with five straight points to take a 10-9 lead, before later scoring nine points on 10 rallies to further their advantage to 21-16. The Bison attempted to stage one last comeback late in the frame but failed to inch any closer than one point as Gordon took the win, 25-21.

Both sides traded 3-0 runs to open the third set, with Gordon gaining the upper hand at 6-3. From there, the Bison remained right on Gordon's heals, eventually tying the set 17-all on a kill from Haylee Granato. Gordon then pulled back in front with another quick 3-0 burst, which proved to be enough on the way to a 25-22 final.

Women's volleyball turns their attention to a road matchup at the University of Hartford (6-6, 1-0 CNE) on Tuesday, October 1^st beginning at 7:00 PM.