The 2018 New England College Volleyball season was only the second in program history. Despite being such a new program and having a team consisting almost exclusively of Freshmen and Sophomores, the team achieved a lot. The Pilgrims improved on their win total from last year, posting 14 victories. They also had a winning record in road games which isn’t easy for any team at any sport. Lastly, the team posted a very impressive 7-2 record in New England Collegiate Conference play.
Through 12 games, the Pilgrims record stood at 2-10. Following the slow start, they won 12 of the remaining 20 games on their schedule, finishing with a 14-18 record.
“The high for the season was probably the first time we played Eastern Nazarene College. Before this game they were the number one seed in the conference and were undefeated. We took them to 5 sets and got the win in one of the most passionate and well played games we had all year,” said Sophomore Emma Kowalka.
That win helped the Pilgrims earn a home playoff game for the second straight season. NEC defeated Becker College by a score of 3-2 at Bridges Gym, but their season would come to an end only days later, losing in the NECC Semi-Finals to Eastern Nazarene, who they had beat in an earlier matchup.
“I am proud of such a young team making it so far into playoffs and know it will only lead to positive seasons to come,” said Kowalka.
The Pilgrims were led on the court by Tihani Ehia who was the team’s leader in points and kills. Ehia was named to the NECC First Team. Joining her was Dreka Griffin who was awarded to the NECC Second Team. Griffin ranked second on the team in scoring and kills.
Kenzie Barron and Jada Small both excelled in serving, both topping 50 service aces on the season. Ehia, Barron, and Small were joined by Maggie Dadmun as the only four Pilgrims to play in each set of the season. Dadmun also led the team with 463 assists including a season high 35 in the playoff victory over Becker College.
“Moving from the NAC to the NECC is something all sports teams at New England College are dealing with. There weren’t any challenges moving conferences, only positives. This new conference was a lot more competitive and more fun to participate in, and we had a lot of home games which is always a bonus,” stated Kowalka.
Looking forward to next season the Pilgrims will have the opportunity to return most players from this year’s team. Growing as a team and improving team chemistry will go a long way in helping this extremely talented group reach their potential in 2019.
