NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision at Coast Guard Academy on Friday night at Roland Hall.

The Camels were led for the second straight game by Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.), who finished with 10 kills and seven digs while hitting .200 for the match. Zoe Watts (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in six kills while Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) handed out 23 assists, and newcomer Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) tacked on a team-high 14 digs.

The Bears improved to 5-1 overall on the season. Sophia Galdamez led all players with 11 kills while Elizabeth Atkinson and Allie Wildsmith added nine apiece. 

Coast Guard held a slight 12-11 edge midway through the opening set before turning on the jets. The Bears won 13 of the next 17 points to close out the first, rallying for a total of 12 kills and five service aces. 

In the second set, the Camels led by as many as four after a pair of service aces by Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) yielded a 10-6 advantage. The hosts later used a 9-1 spurt to grab a 20-16 lead, and although Conn responded with three straight points that included kills by Watts and Lord, Coast Guard powered to the finish to grab a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Camels trailed by three in the third set before tying the game at 18-18 behind a kill and ace by Lord that sandwiched another kill by Watts. The two sides then traded points down the stretch, with Conn taking a 23-22 edge courtesy of a kill at the net by Lord. However, Coast Guard battled back to win the next three points to take the match in straight sets.

Conn College (0-2 overall) will next host matches against Colby Sawyer College and Dean College on Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.