Volleyball Blanks Lesley, Anna Maria in Home Tri-Match Saturday

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team earned a pair of 3-0 victories over non-conference opponents Lesley and Anna Maria Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center. The Lions elevate to 3-0 overall with the wins. The Lynx move to 1-1 on the year while the AmCats start the season with an 0-2 mark.

Cayla Clinkscale (Winchendon, Mass.) and Kortney Jenkins (Bunker Hill, W.V.) both registered 12 kills on the afternoon to lead Eastern Nazarene. Sophomore setter Birdina Tuiava (Colorado Springs, Colo.) handed out 46 assists and Sam Losano (Elverta, Calif.) landed six aces in the two-game span. Defensivley, libero Kori Sorenson (Quincy, Mass.) racked up 18 digs on the day.

In the opening match of the day, Eastern Nazarene came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. The hosts rolled to a 25-9 victory over Lesley in the first set. The Lions posted a 25-13 win in set two before claiming the third frame, 25-15.

Jenkins tallied a match-high 10 kills against the Lynx while Clinkscale record eight. Tuiava racked up 28 assists in the win while Sorenson registered eight digs to lead Eastern Nazarene. Losano notched five service aces in the first match.

In its season-opener, Lesley was paced by Megan Ortwein with six kills and Danielle McDonald with 12 digs.

The Lions began the day with a 10-point run to open up a 10-0 lead on Lesley. A kill by Welsh increased the margin to 13, 19-6. An ace from Sorenson gave ENC its largest lead of the set, 15 points, 21-6.

In the second frame, Eastern Nazarene took an early lead as Losano dealt a pair of aces. Later in the game, the Lynx clawed back to within six points, 17-11, as they rattled off seven unanswered points. The Lions bounced back down the stretch as Jenkins landed a kill to cap off an 8-2 clip to seal the set.

The two teams traded points to start the third stanza before Eastern Nazarene tacked on seven straight points to capture an 8-2 lead. Both sides strung together stretches of multiple points in the third game and the Lions were able to fend off the Lynx to claim their second-straight sweep to start the 2012 season.

Lesley bounced back from the season-opening loss to blank Anna Maria 3-0 in a non-league matchup in the second game of the day.

In the Lions' second contest of the afternoon, the hosts topped Anna Maria 25-14, 25-19 and 25-17 to remain unbeaten on the year.

Eastern Nazarene sprinted out to a 7-1 advantage in the opening set, fueled by two service aces by Clinkscale.

The AmCats cut the Lions' lead to just six points, 20-14, as Megan Leyton picked up an ace. Eastern Nazarene rebounded to claim the final five points of the set.

The second set was tightly contested with the Lions controlling a slight lead throughout the frame. Anna Maria minimized the margin to one point, 17-16, before Eastern Nazarene rattled off three-consecutive points.

The third set saw six lead changes and eight ties but the Lions prevailed after falling behind early, 6-8. Sorenson posted her second ace of the match to seal ENC's third-straight victory.

The Lions remain at home as they welcome Regis September 4.