MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team returned to NESCAC play on Saturday afternoon at Wesleyan University, falling by a 3-0 final at Silloway Gymnasium.
Mila Chan (San Francisco, Calif.) posted a match-high 15 kills on 39 swings, but the Camels were outdone by set scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-20. Morgan Mattson and Michelle Jorba combined for 19 kills to lead the Cardinals, who improved to 9-5 overall (3-1 NESCAC).
The Camels led early in the opening set before Wesleyan jumped ahead courtesy of a 9-1 run. Conn eventually pulled within 14-12, but the Cardinals won six of the next eight points to pad the lead to six. Kills by
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) and
Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) brought the margin back to three at 20-17, but the hosts won the next four points and then clinched the set on a kill by Sophie Corbeil.
In the second set, Conn took its biggest lead at 10-5 following kills by Lord and
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.). Wesleyan responded with a 6-1 spurt to tie things up, and later a kill by Bianca Gonya provided the Cardinals their first lead of the set at 14-13. The score remained tight until Wesleyan pulled away late, using a 4-0 stretch to produce set point. Kills by
Evie Lockwood Mullaney (Needham, Mass.) and Chan staved off a pair of set points, but another kill by Gonya locked things up for the Cardinals.
A 5-1 start to the third put Wesleyan in control early, and the lead quickly grew to 10-3. Conn cut into the deficit with a 7-0 run on the serve of
Emma Hoffmann (Salt Lake City, Utah)—who contributed a pair of aces during the rally—to pull within 12-11. Although Conn later tied the game at both 15-15 and 17-17, the Cardinals never fell behind and used a 4-0 run to build a cushion en route to the finish.
Wartelle finished with seven kills and three blocks while Randall added six kills, 15 digs and four aces.
Josie Kelly (Solana Beach, Calif.) contributed 32 assists and 11 digs while
Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) also chipped in 15 digs.
Conn (9-5 overall, 0-4 NESCAC) will next host Bates College on Friday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m.
