NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College volleyball team made it four straight wins with a 3-0 sweep of Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon at Luce Field House.
The Camels celebrated their four seniors prior to the match, and then promptly took care of the Lyons by final scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-15.
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) led all players with 16 kills and added three aces and three blocks in the final home game of her career.
Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and
Lexi Rosenblatt (Austin, Texas) combined for 31 assists while
Dylan Kokkinos (Aurora, Ill.) chipped in a match-high 12 digs.
Conn came out slow to start things off, dropping the first three points and falling into a 7-2 hole. The Camels made up the deficit behind a 10-2 run that yielded a 16-13 advantage, only to see the Lyons retake the lead with four straight points. The hosts responded by winning nine of the next 10 rallies to clinch the set, with Wartelle supplying three kills during the barrage.
The Camels used a 7-0 spurt to jump out to a 9-2 lead in the second set and never looked back. Both Wartelle and
Emilie Ferdinand (Stoneham, Mass.) contributed four kills apiece in the frame as the Camels went up 2-0 in the match.
With the score tied at 12-12 in the third, Conn used an 11-2 run to pull away down the stretch. Back-to-back kills by
Vibha Sheth (Austin, Texas) jump started the rally, and Wartelle tacked on a pair of kills and a block as the lead ballooned to 23-14. Wartelle added her final kill of the day for the penultimate point, and a Wheaton attack error sealed the Camels' fourth-straight win.
Prior to the match the Camels honored Wartelle,
Evie Lockwood Mullaney (Needham, Mass.),
Caroline Festersen (Omaha, Neb.) and
Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) in a special ceremony. All saw significant playing time and contributed to the win—Lockwood Mullaney finished with a season-high five kills, Festersen served for three aces, and Merrifield recorded 11 digs.
Conn (9-9 overall) will next play at the University of Saint Joseph on Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m.
