NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team opened the 2022 season with five-set victories over Elms College and Western Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon at Luce Fieldhouse.
The Camels won by set scores of 25-11, 21-25, 25-19, 21-25 and 15-10 in the opener against the Blazers.
Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) supplied a team-high 16 kills and tacked on 11 digs, and
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) added 13 kills and three blocks while
Katie Gunderman (Oakland, Calif.) chipped in 10 kills and five blocks.
After winning the first two sets, Conn hung on to close out WestConn by set scores of 25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25 and 15-11. Randall posted a game-high 15 kills to go with 15 digs, and
Amanda Kreidler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) contributed 10 kills and three blocks.
Conn (2-0 overall) will next open NESCAC play at home against Colby College on Friday, September 16 at 6 p.m.
Game 1 – Conn 3, Elms 2
Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) got the Camels off to a strong start in the opening set, serving for five straight points as the hosts grabbed an 8-3 lead and forced an Elms timeout. Wheeler had a pair of aces during the stretch and added another one later in the set as Conn coasted to an early 1-0 advantage.
The Blazers bounced back in the second behind four kills apiece by Jaylianne Ramos (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Alysha Izquierdo (Holyoke, Mass.). The duo proved key in the final moments of the set, as a kill by Ramos tied things up at 21-21. Izquierdo then served for the final four points, sewing up the set with an ace of her own.
The Camels provided a counter punch in the third as Wheeler and Randall combined for 10 of the team's 16 kills. A 10-3 run midway through the stanza gave Conn a 17-10 lead it would never relinquish, and Wheeler provided the final kill to give the hosts a 2-1 edge.
The Blazers never trailed in the fourth set and took control behind an 8-2 run that yielded a 17-10 lead. Conn closed the gap down the stretch, but Ramos caught fire late to help Elms force a fifth set.
After losing the first two points in the deciding set, Conn ripped off a 12-3 run to seize control. The Camels produced seven kills during the game-changing spurt—including three from Lord and two by Wheeler—and held off the Blazers in the final moments to claim their first win of the season.
Wheeler finished with nine kills and a match-high four service aces.
Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) handed out 27 assists to pace the Camels and also added a team-high 13 digs.
Ramos led all players with 20 kills while Jaylin Holman (Las Cruces, N.M.) recorded 37 assists for the Blazers (1-5 overall).
Game 2 – Conn 3, WestConn 2
The Camels kept the momentum rolling into their second match of the day, jumping out to a two-set lead against WestConn. Conn led from start to finish in the opening set, gaining separation midway through the stanza on Wheeler's serve. In the second set, the hosts trailed until a kill by Lord produced their first lead at 21-20, and the Camels later slammed the door shut with four straight points.
The Wolves squeezed out the next two sets to keep things interesting. With the score tied at 23-23 in the third, a kill by Taylor Rohan (Yonkers, N.Y.) and a Conn attack error kept WestConn alive. In the fourth, the visitors led 20-15 and held off a late comeback from the Camels. Conn fought off a pair of set points, getting consecutive kills by
Christina Leduc (South Dennis, Mass.) to pull within one. However, a kill by Helen Megson (Lebanon, Conn.) clinched the set for the Wolves and sent the match into a fifth set.
Conn got off to another good start in the deciding set, taking an 8-3 lead before the teams switched sides. WestConn fought back on the serve of Jersey Jones (Middletown, N.Y.), firing off six straight points to take a 10-9 lead. Later in the set, Leduc and Wheeler combined for a block that snapped an 11-11 stalemate and ignited the Conn sideline. The final four points of the match belonged to the Camels, who ended things on back-to-back kills by Wheeler and Leduc.
Olivia Dow (San Anselmo, Calif.) paced the Conn offense with 21 assists, and Randall and
Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.) each supplied a team-high 15 digs. Wheeler was huge at the net, finishing with a match-high eight blocks.
Elayna Beutel (Prospect, Conn.) and Abbi Debes (New Milford, Conn.) paced WestConn (0-7 overall) with 11 kills apiece, with the latter also tacking on five blocks. Megson also finished in double figures with 10 kills.
