WORCESTER, Mass. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team split a pair of non-conference matches on Saturday afternoon at John P. Brissette '88 Court.
The Camels began the day with a 3-1 setback against Plymouth State University, but bounced back for a 3-0 victory against host Worcester State University.
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) paced Conn with a combined 28 kills over the two matches.
Conn (3-3 overall) will next host Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, September 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Match 1 – Plymouth State 3, Conn College 1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20)
The duo of Wartelle and
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) got the Camels off to a good start with four kills apiece in the opening set. Lord supplied a pair of kills during a 4-0 spurt that put Conn in the lead for good at 11-7, and
Grace Anderson (Pawling, N.Y.) added kills on the final two rallies to help wrap up the set.
In the second set, the Camels led 20-16 before the Panthers fought back behind a 5-0 run. Plymouth State held Conn off down the stretch to even the match, and then carried that momentum through the next two sets.
Wartelle contributed seven of Conn's 10 kills in the final set, but it wasn't enough to match the front line for the Panthers. Sydney Riley, Fiona Bailey and Sya McKay each recorded double-digit kill totals and combined for 31 kills in the contest.
Conn's
Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.) finished with team highs of 31 assists and 13 digs to record her first collegiate double-double.
Match 2 – Conn College 3, Worcester State 0 (25-21, 25-21, 26-24)
Wartelle posted a team-high 10 kills in the second match of the day as the Camels rebounded from the earlier loss.
Zoe Watts (Chicago, Ill.) also chipped in seven kills while Lord tacked on five, and Letourneau added another 31 assists to her tally.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, but Conn seemingly took control behind a 5-0 spree that yielded a 23-16 lead. However, Worcester State fought back with a 5-0 run of its own to make it interesting, until a kill by Wartelle and an ace by Lord sealed the set for the Camels.
The Lancers used a 7-0 spurt to grab a 16-14 advantage in the second set, but Conn countered with a 5-1 run to steal the lead for good. Down the stretch, kills by Anderson,
Dylan Kokkinos (Aurora, Ill.) and Watts secured the set and gave the Camels a 2-0 edge in the match.
The third set was tight as well, with the hosts clinging to a 22-20 lead with hopes of extending the contest. The Camels had other thoughts, closing with a 6-2 run that included a pair of kills from Wartelle to sew up the match.
