Plymouth St. Plym 14-6,4-1 Little East

Eastern Conn. St. ECSU 14-4,3-1 Little East

Plymouth St. Plym

14-6,4-1 Little East

Final

Oct. 18, 2025

Eastern Conn. St. ECSU

14-4,3-1 Little East

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Plymouth St. Plym	25	24	25	25	(3)
Eastern Conn. St. ECSU	18	26	17	21	(1)

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 10/18/2025 10:11:00 PM | Christopher J. Kilmer, Asst. Director of Communications for Athletics

VB: Koelb, McKay come up big as Panthers fend off Eastern Conn.

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Graduate student Ella Koelb (Auburn, N.H.) and freshman Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) teamed up for 27 kills and eight blocks as Plymouth State University handed Eastern Connecticut State University its first conference loss of the season, 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 25-21), in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's volleyball match at Geissler Gymnasium on Saturday.

McKay set an early tone, slamming five kills without an error as the Panthers controlled the opening set from start to finish. The Warriors rallied from a 19-16 deficit in set two, hanging on for a 26-24 win to even the match, but PSU opened the third set on a 12-3 run to reclaim the momentum.

Plymouth State trailed 14-8 in the fourth, but McKay caught fire with five kills during a 9-2 surge as the Panthers took the lead. Eastern Connecticut served back-to-back aces to pull within 22-21, but junior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) answered with a kill to spark a match-winning 3-0 run.

Plymouth State improves to 14-6 (4-1 LEC), while the Warriors fall to 14-4 (3-1 LEC).

The Basics:

Plymouth State 3, Eastern Connecticut 1
- Plymouth State (14-6, 4-1 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (14-4, 3-1 LEC)

How it Happened:

Cahill rocked consecutive kills during a long service run from senior Veronika Castro Rodriguez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) as the Panthers jumped out to an 11-4 lead in set one. McKay added back-to-back kills, and freshman Alice Borriello Diaz (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) fired three straight aces as the lead ballooned to 20-8. PSU held off a late rally to secure the 25-18 win.
Set two featured 15 ties and eight lead changes. Freshman Fiona Bailey (Wrentham, Mass.) found the floor to give PSU the largest lead of the set, 19-16, but Eastern Connecticut evened things at 21-21 with a block. The Panthers fought off set point (24-23) on a kill from sophomore Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine), but the hosts scored two straight take the set, 26-24.
Koelb had four early kills as PSU raced out to a 12-3 lead in the pivotal third set, forcing the Warriors to burn both of their timeouts. Eastern Connecticut pulled within four, 20-16, but Koelb and sophomore Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) combined for a key block, and PSU held on for a 25-17 win.
PSU trailed 14-8 midway through the fourth set, but McKay took over with five kills in the next 11 points to put the Panthers in front, 17-16. The Warriors briefly tied it again at 17-17, but a Koelb kill and a block from Koelb and Riley gave PSU the lead for good. Back-to-back aces brought the Warriors to within 22-21, but Cahill's kill slowed the momentum, and Riley and Cahill added winners to close out the 25-21 victory.

By the Numbers:

McKay finished with 13 kills and just one error (.444), adding three blocks and three aces.
Koelb registered another triple-double – her fifth of the year – with 14 kills, 20 assists, 10 digs, and five blocks.
Cahill contributed 11 kills and two blocks.
Emerson tallied 21 assists, nine digs, and three kills.
Borriello Diaz notched four of the team's 10 aces and chipped in 12 digs.
Castro Rodriguez led the defense with 14 digs, while graduate student Ava Duymazlar (Center Harbor, N.H.) added 12.
Plymouth State has won each of the last five matchups, though the Warriors hold a slight 23-21 edge in the all-time series.