Albertus Magnus Rallies Back to Defeat Volleyball

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's volleyball team rallied from two sets down to win its first match of the season by a 3-2 final at Mitchell College on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Mariners (3-8 overall) took the first two sets by scores of 25-14 and 25-18 before the Falcons (1-10 overall) responded to win the next three. Albertus Magnus won the final three sets by finals of 25-23, 25-20 and 15-5.

Elizabeth Williams led the Falcons with nine kills and added 12 digs and two blocks. Maritza Rosemond chipped in with 22 assists and nine digs while Krista LaBissoniere contributed a match-high 16 digs.

Senior Stephanie McKeon and sophomore Akesia Bernard finished with double-digit kills for the Mariners with 11 and 10, respectively. Senior Jen Bordonaro paced the offense with a match-high 25 assists while sophomore Samantha Alevras-Tarbell added 14 digs.

In the third set, Mitchell looked poised to put the match away with an early 11-6 lead. LaBissoniere got the Falcons back in the set with four straight points from the service line, and Albertus Magnus later took its first lead at 15-14 on the serve of Rosemond. The score then went back and forth until the final moments when a kill by Tiffany Ortiz snapped a 23-23 deadlock, and LaBissoniere followed with a service ace to win the set.

The fourth set was close in the early going, though the Falcons took the lead for good on a pair of service aces from Melissa Manning that made it 13-11. A kill by Ortiz later finished off the set and forced a deciding fifth game.

The Falcons got to work quickly in the final set, jumping out to a 7-0 advantage behind the serve of Rosemond. Williams also contributed a pair of kills during the stretch, while Mitchell didn't help its own cause with four attack errors. Williams added a pair of aces later in the set as the Falcons completed the comeback.

Albertus Magnus finished with seven block solos in the game, led by three from Ortiz. Williams also had four of the Falcons' 10 service aces on the night.

Mitchell returns to conference play at home against Daniel Webster College (11 a.m.) and Southern Vermont College (3 p.m.) on Saturday, October 9.