Wildcats Edged in Five-Setter at Rider

Saturday, September 13

Lawrenceville, N.J.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

5-4,0-0America East

Rider

2-5,0-0MAAC

New Hampshire

Rider

Jessica Shattles (22) deals out one of her 25 assists to Lucy Chertock, who posted 16 kills

Photo by: Mike Murphy

9/13/2025 4:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Broncs win final two sets, including 15-13 in fifth, at Rutgers Invitational

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The UNH volleyball team, playing its third match in two days in two separate cities as part of the Rutgers Invitational, rallied from a slow start and forced a fifth set, but ultimately fell to Rider, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium. The set scores were 25-12, 25-27, 20-25, 25-17, 15-13.

Junior Rachel Grier (Dublin, Calif.) led New Hampshire (5-4) with 13 kills, four service aces, and three blocks, totaling a match-high 19 points. Freshman Lucy Chertock (Danville, Calif.) added 16 kills and two blocks, while junior Jessica Shattles (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) dished out 25 assists and recorded 10 digs. Freshman Varvara Zvereva (Korolev, Russia) contributed six blocks and three kills, and senior Avery LePore (Franklin, Tenn.) anchored the back row with nine digs and two service aces.

"We have an incredibly talented group, and there are stretches where we show just how good we can be," said UNH head coach Christopher Feliciano. "At times, though, we leaned a bit too much on the momentum from the previous play instead of staying aggressive and focused. Today was a reminder of that. We had control of the match, but lost a bit of our composure. We'll use this as a learning opportunity and work to be sharper when we face Merrimack on Tuesday."

Rider (2-5) dominated the opening set, capitalizing on five UNH attack errors and five service aces to cruise to a 25-12 win. The Wildcats struggled to find rhythm offensively, hitting just .037 in the frame.

In the second set, Grier and Chertock sparked the Wildcats with timely kills, while Shattles orchestrated the offense with multiple assists. UNH held off a late Rider surge and clinched the set 27-25 on a kill by senior Meredith Hohnbaum (Indianapolis, Ind.).

The Wildcats carried momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead behind two service aces from Grier. Chertock and senior Millie Grove (Warrington, Pa.) added key kills as UNH held off Rider 25-20 to take a 2-1 match lead.

Rider responded in the fourth set, using a 7-1 run midway through to pull away. Despite a late push from Grier and freshman Zvereva, the Broncs closed out the set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth.

In the final frame, UNH took a brief 10-8 lead after back-to-back attack errors by Rider. But the Broncs rallied with a 7-3 run, capped by a kill from Kiannisha Santiago, to seal the match 15-13.

NEXT HOME MATCH • TUESDAY, SEPT. 16, 6 P.M. VS MERRIMACK • #VSCancer
•UNH returns to Lundholm Gym for a non-conference matchup against Merrimack on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. (ESPN+). The Wildcat volleyball program plays its annual Vs. Cancer Game to raise funds and awareness for the fight to cure pediatric brain cancer. Fans can donate by CLICKING HERE.

WILDCATS FOR LIFE RETURNS SEPT. 29-OCT. 10
•UNH Athletics' annual fall fundraiser is just around the corner, supporting student-athletes across all programs. This year, your impact will go even further thanks to a $35,000 match! Stay tuned for how you can get involved and help fuel the success of our Wildcats. LEARN MORE.

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