BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Connecticut College volleyball team fell in a NESCAC match to Bowdoin, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at Morrell Gymnasium. Set scores were 25-16, 25-19, and 25-14.
 
Bowdoin (4-2, NESCAC 2-0) got off to a fast start and held early leads of 5-1 and 7-3. The Camels recovered and tied the match at 8s and 9s with freshman Lauren Carey (New York, N.Y.) quarterbacking a comeback, but the Polar Bears got a kill as well as an ace from setter Ella Haugen to avoid surrendering the lead. Haugen set up Sarah Evans for a kill to make it 22-13 and then Lauren Lange on set point.
 
The Camels came out on fire in the second set, scoring the opening three points and building a 7-2 lead to force the hosts to burn a timeout. Junior Avery Light (Sudbury, Mass.) registered a kill and a block to spark the Camels during the opening three rallies, and she smashed two more kills before the Polar Bears decided to regroup.
 
But after a service error by Jaida Hodge-Adams gave the visitors a commanding 9-3 early advantage, the hosts stormed back. Sophia Pahl and Lange took control to help tie the score at 10-all, and an ace by Haugen put Bowdoin on top by a 12-11 tally. Haugen tricked the Camel defense by dumping the ball for a kill to make it 19-15 and prompt a timeout before Hodge-Evans closed the set with a kill herself.
 
Although they were challenged by the Camels, Bowdoin never trailed in the third set to complete the sweep. Leading 6-4, Haugen and Evans teamed up twice during a 3-0 run to give the hosts some breathing room. The margin grew to eight on several occasions, and Pahl dropped a kill to put the match on ice.
 
Haugen led Bowdoin by filling the stat sheet with 34 assists, 11 digs, five aces, and three kills. Evans and Pahl tallied 11 and 10 kills, respectively, and Hodge-Adams finished with eight kills and 11 digs. Maya White contributed a game-high 15 digs.
 
Light and Carey paced the Camels in the losing effort. Light had nine kills and two blocks, while Carey registered 21 assists and eight digs. Junior Katie Gunderman (Oakland, Calif.) notched six kills and a block, and freshman Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.) had 13 digs.
 
Connecticut College (0-2, NESCAC 0-2) will next face another perennial power in the NESCAC when it visits Wesleyan on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.