September 11, 2007
Eagles Grab Season Opener, Rush Past Becker 3-1
 

Newcomer Marissa Slane dished out 28 assists in the Eagles' season opening win over Becker Tuesday night at Vagge Gymnasium. DWC won, 3-1 in a clash of future NECC rivals. (Gil Talbot photo)

(Nashua) - It may not have been a matchup of conference rivals - at least not yet - but at times it sure felt like it Tuesday night in Vagge Gymnasium.

Jasmine Salinas (Houston, Tex.) made her collegiate debut a memorable one, registering a match high 13 kills and nine aces including three in a row from the service line to clinch the match, helping Daniel Webster to a 3-1 victory over Becker in the Eagle’s season opener before a raucous Vagge Gymnasium crowd Tuesday night. Game scores were 30-25, 28-30, 30-15, 30-16.

Brianna Johnson (Nashua, N.H.) also hit double figures with 10 kills while knocking down five aces.

“We still have much to work on, but this is a good first step,” noted Head Coach Russ Friedland, who earned the victory in his Eagles coaching debut. “We showed some poise in the later stages of the game. I think Becker played well. They caused some trouble for us, but I’m happy with how our team responded.”

The two future conference rivals will see much more of each other when they join the newly formed New England Collegiate Conference next season. Adding a small twist to this developing rivalry, the matchup was the fourth consecutive year the Eagles have opened their season against the Hawks with DWC winning all four meetings.

Marissa Slane (Milford, N.H.) dished out 28 assists and belted out eight aces, while Jessica Carter (Martinsburg, W.V.) added five kills to the Eagle attack, and added five aces. Ashley Boyd (Hanson, Mass.) chipped in with four kills and four blocks (three solo), while Jess Booth (Westminster, Mass.) also added four kills.

The two clubs stayed close through the first two games with DWC taking a 30-25 victory in game one and fell behind 26-14 in game two. But Salinas began to heat up knocking down two kills from the back row, while Johnson added three kills sparking a furious rally that pulled the Eagles to within 29-28, before an unforced error squelched the comeback.

The rally seemed to sap some of the Hawks strength as the Eagles handled games three and four with relative ease, winning 30-15 and 30-16. In control late, Salinas knocked down three aces in game four to seal the match.

The Eagles return to action Saturday as they face host Simmons and Saint Joseph (Ct.) in a GNAC tri-match beginning at 12:30 p.m. Becker hosts Pine Manor Thursday at 7:00 p.m.