NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team battled to a 3-1 victory over a resilient Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday night at Luce Field House.

The Camels (9-7 overall) dropped the first set 27-29 but rallied to take the next three by finals of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-22. The victory gave head coach Josh Edmed his 300th career win at Conn.

Conn had four players finish with double-digit kill totals, with Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) leading the way with a match- and season-high 14. Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) added a double-double of 11 kills and 20 digs while Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) and Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) each chipped in 10 kills apiece.

Eastern (9-7 overall) was led by Taylor Thompson's 11 kills and four block assists. Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin, Conn.) and Brooke Praskievicz paced the defense with 19 and 17 digs, respectively, while serving for four aces each.

In the opening set, Eastern built a 20-12 advantage on the strength of a 10-2 run and looked poised for a quick finish. The Camels clawed back behind a 12-4 stretch that included four kills from Wartelle to tie the score at 24-24, fighting off a pair of set points in the process. The Warriors later fought off a pair of sets points of their own—the first on a timely block by Thompson and Maggie Barr, and the second on a kill by Barr—and prevailed thanks to an ace by Parmelee and a kill by Paige Savitsky.

The second set was tied at 11-11 when Conn ripped off a 9-2 run to take control. Lord supplied three kills during the spree, which left the Camels with a seven-point advantage. The Warriors got the deficit down to four, but the hosts nailed down the final three points of the set to even the match at 1-1.

Conn never trailed in the third set after getting off to a 4-0 start, and later a 9-3 spurt brought the lead to 20-9. Randall had four kills in the frame, but it was a stout presence at the net that yielded five blocks for the Camels. 

Conn looked in control early in the fourth thanks to a 5-0 start, but Eastern rallied back for eight straight points on the serve of Praskievicz to pull in front. The lead changed hands five more times over the course of the set, with the Camels pulling in front for good at 22-21 on a kill by Lord. Wheeler supplied the final two points of the night with a kill and an ace to end the match.

Wheeler had a strong all-around game, finishing with three aces and seven block assists in addition to her 14 kills. Caroline Festersen (Omaha, Neb.) had a busy night on the back line with 19 digs, and Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) powered the offense with 40 assists. 

Conn College will next play at Wesleyan University on Friday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m.