WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut College volleyball team split matches with Fitchburg State University and the University of Hartford on Saturday afternoon at Chase Family Arena.
The Camels won their first match of the day by a 3-0 tally over Fitchburg State, posting set scores of 25-8, 25-10 and 25-21 to pick up their second victory of the season. In the second game, Hartford overcame a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets by scores of 25-19, 11-25, 17-25, 25-17 and 15-7.
Conn (2-4 overall) will next host Bowdoin College on Friday, September 18 at 6:00 p.m.
Match 1 – Conn College 3, Fitchburg State 0
In the opening set against the Falcons, Conn took control behind a 13-1 run and recorded a total of 17 kills.
Keira Deeney (Norwell, Mass.) and
Lola Railsback (Dallas, Texas) led the way with four kills apiece as the Camels quickly grabbed a 1-0 advantage.
Conn got out to a 4-0 start in the second set and never trailed, eventually widening the margin to double digits thanks to a 10-1 spurt. The Camels tallied nine service aces in the set, including three straight from
Dylan Kokkinos (Aurora, Ill.) to secure the final three points.
After another 4-0 start put Conn on top in the third, the Falcons made a late push to tie the score at 20-20. The Camels responded by winning five of the next six points, with
Sarah Woodhouse (Santa Barbara, Calif.) supplying a pair of kills during the stretch to help nail down the win.
Tilde Keatley (Pasadena, Calif.) led the Camels with seven kills while Deeney and
Vibha Sheth (Austin, Texas) added six apiece.
Aubrie Letourneau (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and
Lexi Rosenblatt (Austin, Texas) each handed out 13 assists while
Josie Kelly (Solana Beach, Calif.) tacked on eight. Kokkinos and
Emma Hoffmann (Salt Lake City, Utah) each served for four aces, and the former also recorded five digs.
Match 2 – Hartford 3, Conn College 2
Conn dropped the opening set but bounced back to win the next two. The Camels limited the Hawks to only five kills in the second set while recording 13 of their own, and in the third
Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) tallied five kills on eight swings to put the visitors up 2-1.
In the fourth, Hartford took an early lead behind a 7-0 run and never gave it back. Calla McCombs registered six kills in the frame as the Hawks forced a deciding fifth set.
The Camels fell behind 3-0 in the fifth but rallied back to tie the score at 5-5. However, the hosts responded with a 7-0 run to seize the momentum, and moments later Camille Earl ended the match with a kill and a service ace for the Hawks.
Sheth finished with a season-high 16 kills to lead Conn's offensive effort while Wartelle and Keatley chipped in 10 apiece. Rosenblatt registered her first career double-double with season highs of 36 assists and 18 digs, and Kokkinos also added 18 digs.
