HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior Christina Leduc (Mendon, Mass.) and freshman Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) each notched a double-double of the kill-dig variety as the Connecticut College volleyball team swept Trinity, 3-0, on Friday evening. With the victory by set scores of 25-16, 28-26, and 25-23, the Camels put themselves in an excellent position to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2016.
 
Connecticut College (9-10, NESCAC 3-7) jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never trailed in the opening set. The Camels built up a 15-11 advantage and then went on a 5-0 run to pull away. Sophomore Valentina Baehrle (Redwood City, Calif.) led the visitors with four aces in the frame, and the Camels clinched on a bad set by Hareena Johnson.
 
The Camels scored the first four points of the second set and once again never trailed by getting a pair of kills from senior Avery Light (Sudbury, Mass.) and Randall. The Bantams recovered and kept things close, but they would never take the lead. Leduc dropped a kill to conclude a long rally, making it 21-15, and an ace to follow by freshman Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.) gave the Camels momentum.
 
Trinity (10-14, NESCAC 1-9) didn't go away and tied the game at 24s, 25s, and 26s, but sophomore quarterback Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) set up junior Annie Wibbelsman (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and then dumped the ball herself to clinch the set.
 
The third set stayed close at the beginning, and Trinity took its first lead at 11-10 on a Johnson kill. A seesaw battle continued, but it was the Camels who took a 20-18 advantage with Shrivastava once again tricking the Bantam defense. Light then came through by notching a kill on match point.
 
Leduc and Randall each registered a double-double to lead the way for Connecticut College. Leduc had 12 kills and 10 digs, while Randall added 10 kills and 12 digs along with two blocks. Shrivastava contributed 39 assists, eight digs, and four kills, and Baehrle racked up five aces.
 
Trinity was paced by Molly Bernstein, who finished the game with six kills and six blocks. Eva Lekovic had nine kills and four blocks, Natalia Ortiz added 16 digs, and Locke Luhnow and Grace Sullivan combined for 29 assists.
 
Peaking at the right time, Connecticut College will now wait to see if it will take its four-game winning streak to the NESCAC Tournament next weekend. Games wrap up around the league to conclude the regular season and determine qualification as well as seeds on Saturday afternoon.