NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team picked up its first NESCAC victory of the season on Saturday afternoon at Luce Fieldhouse, defeating Bates College in straight sets.
The Camels triumphed by set scores of 25-10, 25-23, and 25-19 to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) posted match highs of 13 kills and 21 digs to lead the way for the hosts, who evened their league record at 1-1.
Conn used runs of 5-0 and 6-0 in the opening set–the first on the serve of
Olivia Dow (San Anselmo, Calif.), and the second behind
Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.)–to build its lead to 17-5. A kill by
Katie Gunderman (Oakland, Calif.) on set point sealed a 15-point victory for the Camels and put them up 1-0 early in the match.
The second set was more competitive as Bates found its groove. The Bobcats grabbed their first lead of the afternoon at 6-5 following a kill by Ami Evans (Honolulu, Hawaii), then built the margin to as many as seven at 17-10. The Camels fought their way back into the set by winning 10 of the next 13 points, evening the score at 20-20 on a kill by
Taylor Knott (Chapel Hill, N.C.).
Moments later, Conn trailed 23-21 before closing strong with a 4-0 run to steal the set. Both Gunderman and
Christina Leduc (North Dennis, Mass.) provided big kills down the stretch, with the latter supplying her third kill of the stanza to put the Camels up 2-0 in the match.
Early in the final set, the lead changed hands three times before a kill by Randall put Conn in front for good at 6-5. The play also sparked a 5-0 run that gave the Camels some much-needed separation, and Randall went on to rack up five kills in the set.
Leduc finished with seven kills, 12 digs, and three blocks while Dow and
Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) each chipped in 17 digs. Gunderman tacked on four blocks and three kills.
Alyssa Lowther (Wyckoff, N.J.) and Katie Kortekaas (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) paced the Bobcats with seven kills apiece. Emma Eide (Ramsey, N.J.) led all players with 24 assists while Ellie Esada (Honolulu, Hawaii) posted a team-high 15 digs.
Conn College will next play at the University of Saint Joseph on Wednesday, September 21 at 7 p.m.
