This week in Suffolk University sports: volleyball has undefeated week, women’s soccer wins first conference game, women’s golf continues dominant stretch and women’s tennis wraps up season with playoff defeat.
Volleyball has undefeated week to lengthen winning streak
Taking on Western New England University at home Oct. 9, volleyball picked up their first win against the Conference of New England rival with a 3-2 win over the Golden Bears. The first two sets went to the Rams before the Golden Bears won the next two, forcing a do-or-die fifth set. Suffolk won the set and the match to improve to a 16-4 season record.
In the win, outside hitter McKenna Keowen reached 1,000 career digs. She became the fifth to do so in program history and the second of the season after libero Morgan Kelsey reached 1,000 digs two weeks prior against Hartford.
Against the Pratt Institute and Lasell University for a tri-match Oct. 12, the Rams took both matches to improve to 18-4 on the season on the back of four straight wins. Against Pratt, Suffolk dominated with a 3-0 win as a commanding 25-5 second set win was sandwiched between two 25-20 set wins.
The match against Lasell was a back and forth battle, as the Lasers took sets one and four to Suffolk’s wins in sets two and three to force a deciding fifth set. Suffolk won the set 15-11 to take care of business for the weekend. This was Suffolk’s fourth straight win over the Lasers.
Women’s soccer wins first conference game
On the road against Nichols College Oct. 12, women’s soccer rallied from multiple one goal deficits to beat the Bison 3-2 and earn their first CNE win of the year.
With Nichols taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, Suffolk outscored the Bison 3-1 in the second half to improve to 7-3-2 on the season and 1-3 in CNE play. Charli Adams, Angelina Giovanni and Sinclaire Hart had the goals for the Rams while goalkeeper Arden Ferrari-Henry turned aside seven shots.
Men’s soccer splits two game week
Facing Nichols on the road Oct. 12, men’s soccer blanked the Bison with a 2-0 win to boost their CNE record to 3-0-1 and overall record to 6-4-3. Both Suffolk goals came on penalty kicks, with Francisco Valck converting on his chance in the first half and Dylan Tratchenberg finding paydirt in the second half. Goalkeeper Nathan Harlow made six saves to keep the Bison off the scoreboard.
Two days later, the Rams could not get a second straight win on the road as they lost 5-1 to Boston College. Despite being tied 1-1 through the first 20 minutes, the Eagles scored four unanswered goals to make it a 5-1 final. Suffolk is now 0-2 against BC lifetime, though they did score their first goal against the Eagles in program history.
Women’s golf continues dominant stretch
Women’s golf won their third straight event Oct. 11 at the Northeast Women’s Golf Conference Fall Classic, finishing at the top of the 11 team standings to win the event for the second year in a row.
The Rams finished with a 329 on the day, with the +41 score beating out second place SUNY Cortland by eight. Krisna Mahendran and Brooke Bugajewski finished in a three-way tie for first place with SUNY Cortland’s Gina Milazzo as the other three Rams golfers all finished in the top 10.
At the NWGC Fall Invitational the next day, the Rams finished in second place out of 10 teams. SUNY Cortland got revenge on the Rams as they finished in first with a 339 and +59 score to Suffolk’s 345 and +65 score. Mahendran finished at the top of the individual standings for the fourth straight time.
Cross country delivers in championship meet
Men’s and women’s cross country competed in the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association cross country championships Oct. 11 in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
The women’s team did not score in the team standings in the five kilometer race as four freshmen runners competed in the 201 runner field.
Like the women’s race, the men’s team faced competition from both Division I and Division II schools. In the eight kilometer run, the Rams were boosted by a trio of personal records out of the six runners that competed in the field of 207. Freshman Declan Shannon was the top Rams runner on the course, with his 29:43.6 finishing time earning him CNE rookie of the week honors.
Women’s tennis wraps up season with playoff sweep
In their final match of the regular season against UMass Dartmouth Oct. 10, women’s tennis lost a hard fought 4-3 tilt with the Corsairs, ending the regular season with a 1-10 record.
UMass Dartmouth picked up the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead before Suffolk grabbed a 2-1 lead as Chloe Pszenny and Jaylin Hills won their singles matches. The two sides traded wins to leave things deadlocked at three entering the final match, where Elene Nishnianidze was unable to defeat UMass Dartmouth’s Kayli Langan, sealing the win for the Corsairs.
Facing Endicott College in the first round of the CNE playoffs, the Rams’ season came to an end as the Gulls swept them 4-0. Endicott swept all three doubles matches and all three singles matches that were played. The remaining three singles matches were unfinished, as Endicott had already clinched the victory.
