NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Connecticut College women's volleyball team opened NESCAC play with a competitive 3-1 loss to Middlebury College on Friday night at Luce Field House.

After falling into a 2-0 hole, the Camels nearly extended the match into a fifth set versus the defending NESCAC champions. However, the Panthers overcame a five-point deficit late in the fourth to cement the win behind scores of 25-23, 25-20, 18-25 and 27-25.

Three Camels finished with double-digit kills in the contest, led by a match-high 14 from Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.). Grace Anderson (Pawling, N.Y.) and Vibha Sheth (Austin, Texas) added career-high totals of 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.) turned in a season-high 42 assists.

Molly Harrison paced Middlebury with 14 kills while Gabby Pribisich and Molly MacDonald added 11 and 10, respectively. The Panthers improved to 5-4 overall (1-0 NESCAC) on the year.

In the opening set, Middlebury snapped a 12-12 deadlock with a 6-1 run to take control. Conn hung close and later seized a 23-22 lead with a 4-0 spurt that included a pair of kills by Anderson. However, the Panthers evened the score on a service error and got kills by Harrison and Ava Tuccio to close out the stanza.

Middlebury used a 7-2 run to grab a 20-15 lead in the second set and then traded points to the finish. Pribisich led the way with five kills in the frame, giving the visitors a 2-0 edge in the match.

Conn came to life in the third, racing out to a 14-7 advantage as the momentum began to shift. Wartelle was the spark, providing five kills and three service aces in the set to get the Camels back on track. 

Harrison registered kills on five of Middlebury's first 10 points in the fourth to keep the Panthers in contention. The Camels led for a majority of the set and sat on a 23-18 advantage following a pair of kills by Anderson. Middlebury closed strong, winning nine of the final 11 points to sew up the match.

Wartelle finished with three service aces and also contributed to six of Conn's eight blocks on the night. Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) was also active around the net, supplying six kills and four block assists.

Conn (4-4 overall, 0-1 NESCAC) will next host Williams College on Saturday, September 20 at 2:00 p.m.