LEWISTON, Maine — The Connecticut College women's volleyball team picked up its first NESCAC win of the season on Friday night, sweeping past Bates College by a 3-0 final at Alumni Gym.
The Camels, who won by scores of 25-21, 25-14 and 25-23, knocked off the Bobcats for the second year in a row.
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) supplied the firepower with a match-high 14 kills on 26 swings and added four service aces and three blocks.
Conn took its first lead in the opening set thanks to a 6-0 run that yielded a 21-17 advantage.
Zoe Watts (Chicago, Ill.) provided the spark with back-to-back kills to put the Camels in front, and Wartelle widened the margin with a pair of aces. Although the Bobcats countered with four straight points to once again pull even, the visitors held on and closed out the set behind another kill by Watts and two aces from
Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.).
The Camels never trailed in the second set and used an 8-0 run to open up a double-digit lead. Wartelle contributed three kills during the spurt while
Grace Anderson (Pawling, N.Y.) and
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) tacked on a kill apiece.
Vibha Sheth (Austin, Texas) later capped the frame with a kill on set point to put Conn on top 2-0 in the match.
Bates led 13-8 in the third before a 6-0 rally brought the Camels back into the set. Lord recorded a pair of kills during the run while
Dylan Kokkinos (Aurora, Ill.) added two aces. Later, the Bobcats wiped away a five-point deficit to even the score at 20-20, only to see Wartelle take over down the stretch. The Conn junior supplied two kills—including the match clincher—along with a solo block and a block assist in the final stages.
Watts finished with nine kills on the night while Lord and Anderson each chipped in seven. Letourneau handed out 35 assists and added three aces and two blocks, and on the defensive end
Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) led all players with 12 digs.
Conn (8-7 overall, 1-4 NESCAC) will next play at No. 25 Tufts University on Saturday, October 11 at 2:00 p.m.
