MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Connecticut College volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback at Middlebury College on Friday night in a NESCAC clash at Pepin Gymnasium.
The Panthers won by set scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-13 to snap Conn's five-game win streak. Molly Harrison paved the way with a match-high 18 kills for Middlebury, which improved to 15-8 overall and 5-4 in league action.
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) paced the Camels with eight kills while
Tilde Keatley (Pasadena, Calif.) and
Keira Deeney (Norwell, Mass.) chipped in six apiece.
Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.) also contributed team highs of 10 assists and eight digs.
Conn used an 8-1 run in the opening set to take an 11-6 advantage, only to see the margin erode down the stretch. Kills by Wartelle and Deeney brought the score to 23-20 before the Panthers closed with a 5-0 spurt to steal the set.
The Camels pulled in front early in the second set and led 13-10 following a block by Deeney and
Vibha Sheth (Austin, Texas). However, Middlebury seized the momentum with a 9-1 run and never trailed again to go up 2-0 in the match.
The Panthers used a pair of 5-0 runs in the final set to secure the victory. Harrison and Natalie Stanford combined for 11 of the team's 15 kills in the frame.
Conn (10-10 overall, 3-6 NESCAC) will close out the regular season at Hamilton College on Saturday, October 31 at 2:00 p.m.
