NHTI tops off perfect season with conference championship
CONCORD, N.H. - The NHTI women's volleyball team topped off a perfect 10-0 conference season with a 3-0 victory over Unity College to win the Yankee Small College Conference Championship Saturday at NHTI. The victory assures the Lynx of a trip to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournament, set for November 4-7 at SUNY Canton in Canton, N.Y.
The Lynx defeated the Rams 25-20 in the first set, but Unity jumped out to an early 18-11 lead in set number two when tournament MVP Allyson Lively (Moutlonborough, N.H.) from NHTI served up 14 consecutive points to give NHTI the set 25-18. The final set ended with a score of 25-12. Jessie Bergeron (Canterbury, N.H.) earned Defensive Player of the Tournament in the victory.
Unity defeated Paul Smith's College in the semi-finals to advance to the Championship game, taking the Bobcats to five sets before advancing with the 3-2 win. The Rams jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a 25-8 victory in the first set, and the two teams traded back and forth over the next three sets before the Rams pulled it out with a 25-9 fifth set victory.
NHTI advanced to the championship with a 3-1 win over the University of Maine at Machias. The Lynx took the first set 25-17, but the Clippers battled back for a 25-17 win in the second set. NHTI won the final two sets (25-17, 25-18) to advance.
For the season, NHTI won 36 sets while losing 12 in conference play. Head coach Melanie Margeson was named YSCC Coach of the Year. Unity's Jacklyn Collins was named Player of the Year at the annual YSCC banquet and teammate Lindsey Morris joined her on the All-Conference Team. Carissa Archibald and Katy Steeves of NHTI were also named to the All-Conference Team, as well as Savannah Hayden from the University of Maine at Machias and Gabriella Buehller from Paul Smith's College. Great Bay Community College took home the Sportsmanship Award.