DUDLEY, Mass. (10/15/2026) – The Nichols College women's volleyball team dropped in three sets against Mount Holyoke (13-25, 24-26, 19-25) this Thursday evening at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium.
With the loss the Bison drop to 4-14 (2-3 CNE) while the Lyons move on to 9-5 (2-3 NEWMAC),
Freshman Rayan Joquin led the Bison offense with five kills while hitting .429.
Alyssa Morse and
Sofia Novak added four kills apiece, while Novak recorded four service aces and
Naseem Hennouch contributed three. Hennouch dished out 10 assists, followed by
Lena Heini with four. Defensively, Morse led the backline with 10 digs, while
Kaitlyn Rodrigues added eight.
Nichols battled to keep pace with Mount Holyoke early in the opening set, trading points and looking to build momentum. Novak and Heini strung together some points to keep a close 6-10 score. However, the Lyons caught fire midway through the set, stringing together a decisive scoring run to create separation. The Bison silenced it, capitalizing off errors and an ace from Hennouch. Despite Nichols' efforts to claw back, Mount Holyoke closed out the set, 25-13, to take the early advantage.
The Bison came out with renewed energy in the second set, quickly building momentum with an early 5-2 run behind kills from
Liliana Bottone and
Sofia Novak. Nichols continued to apply pressure, with
Naseem Hennouch setting up Novak and Rayan Joquin for key kills as the Bison built a commanding 14-8 advantage. Mount Holyoke refused to back down, however, rallying late to erase the deficit and force a tense finish. Nichols fought off set point with a service ace from Hennouch to even the score at 24-24, but the Lyons secured the final two points to take the set, 26-24, and extend their lead to 2-0.
Nichols and Mount Holyoke traded blows early in the third set, keeping the score tight as both sides fought to gain control. The Bison battled finding timely kills from Morse and
Jhudny Pierre. Novak sparked a late push for the Bison, delivering three consecutive service aces to cut into the Lyons' advantage and bring Nichols within striking distance at 22-19. Despite the late surge, Mount Holyoke held firm, closing out the set with back-to-back points to secure a 25-19 victory and complete the three-set sweep.
The Bison return to conference play this Friday, October 16, when they host the Curry College Colonels at the Nichols Athletic Center. First serve is set for 6:00 PM.
