GLASSBORO, N.J. (Sept. 2, 2016) – Senior captain Sabrina Barbieri (Glen Mills, Pa.) registered a pair of double-double performances as the Widener University volleyball team earned a pair of victories over host Rowan and Emmanuel on Friday evening at the Rowan Invitational. The Pride swept the Profs by set scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-21 before earning a 3-1 win over the Saint by scores of 25-13, 22-25, 25-14 and 25-16.
 
Widener 3, Rowan 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21)
 
In the season opener against the Profs, Widener trailed for most of the first set and found itself in a 20-14 hole. The Pride, however, went on a 10-2 run and took its first lead at 23-22 on a solo block by junior Lauren Daly (Springfield, Pa.) before getting two more points to clinch the frame on Rowan miscues.
 
Widener once again found itself in an early hole in the second set before taking a 9-8 lead on a Barbieri service ace and holding off the hosts the rest of the way. Daly came up with another huge solo block on set point to put the Pride in control.
 
In the third set, the teams exchanged the lead six times and found themselves tied on 10 occasions during a seesaw affair. Rowan closed the gap to 22-21 on a kill from Erica O'Hagan, but the Pride closed the match by scoring the next three points. Barbieri set up sophomores Janie Kalinock (Ellicott City, Md.) and Nicole Dorman (East Norriton, Pa.) for kills, and senior Lauren Elliott (Aston, Pa.) recorded an ace on match point to seal the win.
 
Widener was led by a pair of double-double efforts coming from Barbieri and Dorman. Barbieri had 26 assists and 10 digs to go along with a team-leading three aces, while Dorman finished with 12 kills and 10 digs.
 
Widener 3, Emmanuel 1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-14, 25-16)
 
Widener never trailed in the opening set against Emmanuel and set the tone early by bursting out to an 11-4 lead, prompting the opponent to take a timeout. The Pride remained in control after the break and built their lead up to as many as 11 when Barbieri set up Dorman for a kill to make it 23-12. Sophomore Kelsey Lee (Chesapeake, Va.) then added a kill and an ace for the final two points to clinch the set.
 
After dropping the second frame, Widener came out strong in the third to regain control. The Pride scored the first four points and ballooned the deficit to twin figures when Forney smashed a Barbieri pass for a kill to give Widener an 18-8 advantage. A pair of attacking errors by Emmanuel's Mary Shelow later gave the Pride the final scoring they needed to win the set.
 
Widener came out strong again in the fourth frame and rattled off five straight, which was capped by Kalinock and Forney teaming up for a block on an attack attempt by Marissa Cataldo. Nicole Dorman then smashed two straight kills to make it 9-1, providing more than enough insurance for the squad to eventually record its second win in as many tries to begin the 2016 campaign.
 
The Pride, who forced the opponent to hit at a negative clip during the third and fourth sets, were led by Barbieri's double-double performance of 40 assists and 10 digs as well as freshman Kierston Forney's (Manassas, Va.) career-high 14 kills. Dorman added 13 kills, and Lee finished with a .417 hitting percentage by recording six kills against just one error on 12 attempts.
 
Widener (2-0) concludes tournament play tomorrow with matchups against Muhlenberg at 1:00 p.m. and Swarthmore at 3:00 p.m.