NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team cruised to its third-straight 3-0 victory on Wednesday night, topping the University of Saint Joseph by set scores of 25-13, 25-12 and 25-17 at Luce Field House.
The Camels hit .351 as a team and posted a season-high 18 service aces en route to the victory.
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) paved the way with match highs of 10 kills and five aces, and
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) recorded a season-high nine kills on 10 swings. A total of six Conn players finished with at least one ace on the night, as
Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) and
Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) supplied four apiece.
After falling behind 6-4 in the opening set, the Camels took control behind an 8-1 run that featured a pair of aces from Randall. Saint Joseph kept Conn in its sights until an 8-0 run on the serve of Lord sewed up the set. Lord supplied four aces during the spurt while Wartelle tacked on a pair of kills.
The Camels kept their foot on the gas in the second set, racing out to a commanding 18-2 lead on the strength of nine kills and three aces. The Blue Jays put a dent in the deficit with a 5-0 run but couldn't overcome the rough start. A final kill by Randall wrapped up the set and gave Conn the 2-0 advantage.
Saint Joseph led 5-2 in the third before Conn vaulted into the lead with four straight points, the last of which came on a block by Wheeler and Lord. The Camels then pulled away behind an 11-2 stretch that included three kills apiece by Lord and Wartelle, leaving the hosts with a 17-9 edge. Later,
Zoe Watts (Chicago, Ill.) secured the final kill of the night as Conn notched its third consecutive shutout.
Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) played the first two sets and finished with a team-high 24 assists to go with three kills and two aces.
Caroline Festersen (Omaha, Neb.) took over setting duties in the final stanza and handed out seven assists.
Conn College returns to the court for its NESCAC opener at Colby College on Friday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m.
