WAYNE, N.J. (3/4/21) – Michelle Froehlich finished with a career-high 13 kills and 12 digs as the Kean University women's volleyball team swept William Paterson University in straight sets, 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-12) to open the 2021 spring season.

Sedona Gaard and Kayla Thornton each added seven kills apiece for the Cougars who improve to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Jamie O'Shea totaled eight digs and four kills for the Pioneers who fall to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in the NJAC.

Froehlich posted a .500 hitting percentage, while Thornton tallied a .636 hitting percentage with no errors on 11 swings. Kean totaled 37 kills and posted a .300 hitting percentage for the match as the Cougars extended their winning streak against the Pioneers to 12 matches since 2011.

For his career at Kean, Perkins is 12-3 against William Paterson, losing only in his first two seasons.

The opening set saw a balanced attack as Froehlich, Gaard, Ashley Smith, Thornton and Morgan Hall all tallied two kills apiece. Kean used a 6-1 run to propel themselves from an 8-6 lead to a 13-7 advantage that kept the Cougars in front for the rest of the set.  

The middle set saw a combined nine kills from Froehlich and Smith as Kean hit a match high .480 hitting percentage and held Paterson to just nine points. The Cougars opened the set on a 10-2 run that included Amanda DeLio collecting back-to-back aces as the Cougars didn't look back.

The closing set saw Froehlich, Gaard and Thornton combine for 12 kills as the Cougars opened with a 14-4 run to seal the set and the match.

Smith finished with five kills and six digs, while Kylie Brua and Gwen Hangey combined for 32 assists. DeLio totaled 10 digs and three aces.

Head Coach Don Perkins and the Cougars will return to action in Union, N.J. on Tuesday, Mar. 9^th, hosting the Red Hawks of Montclair State University at 7:00 p.m.