NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College volleyball team dropped its home opener to Bates College by a 3-1 decision on Friday evening at the Charles B. Luce Fieldhouse. The Bobcats won by set scores of 25-22, 30-28, 22-25, and 25-21 in what was the Camels' first home game since Nov. 1, 2019.
 
After Bates edged out the hosts in the opening frame by three points, a wild second set featured 17 ties and six lead changes. With the Camels leading 25-24, the home team thought it had potentially won the second set to even things up when an attack by Cayla Deacon appeared to have sailed out of bounds behind the end line. However, the officials ruled that a pair of Camels attempting to block the attack had touched the ball, giving the Bobcats another life.
 
Bates (5-6, NESCAC 1-3) took advantage of the opportunity, and despite falling behind by one on several occasions, continued to stay alive. After falling behind 28-27 on an Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) kill, the Bobcats ended the set on a 3-0 run. A ball handling error gave the visitors a 29-28 advantage, and Alyssa Lowther then finally ended the set with a kill.
 
Connecticut College responded and was able to win the third set, which featured 12 ties and eight exchanges of the lead. With the score tied at 21s, Wheeler smashed a kill and then teamed up with freshman Amanda Kreidler (Aliso Veijo, Calif.) for a block to give the Camels a two-point lead. After Kreidler made it 24-22 with a kill, the duo combined to block an attack by Sydney Phillips to give the Camels the win and extend the game.
 
The Bobcats, however, built up a 7-3 lead and never trailed in the fourth and final set. Even though the Camels kept things close the entire time, they could never get over the hump. A kill by Catie Sanchez on match point gave the visitors the victory.
 
Emma Eide registered a triple-double to lead the way for Bates with 10 kills, 35 assists, and 16 digs. She also had two service aces. Lowther had 13 kills, while Kate Hansen added five aces and Megan Seabury recorded 22 digs.
 
Wheeler paced the Camels in the loss with a double-double effort. She had 14 kills and 19 digs to go along with five blocks. Senior Avery Light (Sudbury, Mass.) finished with 10 kills and four blocks, while freshman Lauren Carey (New York, N.Y.) had 26 assists. Freshman Julia Dailey had a team-best 21 digs.
 
Connecticut College (2-5, NESCAC 0-4) will next host Colby tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.

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