Volleyball Claims Crucial CCC Victory at Curry Thursday, 3-0

MILTON, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene volleyball team blanked Curry 3-0 Thursday evening, earning a key conference win.

The Lions improve to 14-15 on the season and 2-5 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Colonels drop to 9-18 overall and 0-8 in league matches.

With the victory, Eastern Nazarene moves into a tie with Wentworth for sixth place in the conference standings. The Lions own the tie-breaker after downing the Leopards earlier in the season. Both squads have one league match remaining in the regular season slate. A win over Gordon Saturday afternoon would send Eastern Nazarene into the postseason for the first time since the 2007 campaign.

The Lions were led by Hannah Welsh (Derry, N.H.) with nine kills, nine digs and four aces on the night. Cayla Clinkscale (Winchendon, Mass.) notched nine kills and eight digs in the contest. Kortney Jenkins (Bunker Hill, W.V.) finished with seven kills and three digs.

Sam Losano (Elverta, Calif.) paced Eastern Nazarene defensively with 10 digs in the match while Vanessa Pascal (Marlborough, Mass.) recorded eight digs on the evening. Lauryl Berger (Laurel, Del.) racked up 29 assists, seven digs and three aces for the visitors.

The Lions grabbed a 1-0 lead with a 25-15 win in the opening frame. Eastern Nazarene captured the second set 25-16 and secured the victory with a 25-13 decision in the third.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will close out the 2013 regular season with a home tri-match November 2. The Lions will battle Gordon in a pivotal conference tilt at 1 pm and will face Framingham State in a non-conference bout at 5 pm.