Volleyball Beats Albertus Magnus In Five Sets

NEW LONDON, Conn. – For the second time in five days, the Mitchell College women's volleyball team needed five sets to post a 3-2 victory over Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Unlike the first meeting, Mitchell (4-2 overall) found itself trailing 2-1 after the third set but rallied back to win the final two. The Mariners won by set scores of 24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 and 15-11.

Freshmen Emily Stracuzzi and Alivia Royal led Mitchell with 15 and 11 kills, respectively, while classmate Nicole Terni totaled 35 assists and 22 digs. Junior Arianna Thomas also pitched in with 20 digs.

Albertus Magnus (0-8 overall) was led by Melissa Manning, who finished with a match-high 17 kills. Elizabeth Williams added 14 kills while Maritza Rosemond dished out 29 assists. Nicole Acerra led all players with 28 digs.

Mitchell led 24-22 in the opening set, but Albertus Magnus fought off a pair of set points and scored four straight to steal the set. Leanna Velez made three huge digs during one rally to keep the Falcons alive, and Williams finished things off with her fifth kill of the set.

The Mariners bounced back in the second set on the strength of senior Brittany Zaccaria's serve. She served for eight straight points and gave Mitchell a 15-5 cushion en route to evening the match at one set apiece.

The Falcons served for five of their eight aces in the third set. Soltear Dy had three of her match-high five aces in the frame, and Krista LaBissioniere wrapped up the set with her only ace of the night. 

Mitchell's freshmen accounted for all but one of the team's 17 kills in the fourth set. Royal paced the Mariners with five in the stanza, and Stracuzzi provided the big blow with a kill down the line to snap a 23-23 deadlock. Mitchell then won the set on the ensuing rally thanks to an attack error.

The final set was tied at 7-7 before Thomas gave the Mariners the lead with a kill and the teams switched sides. Stracuzzi then followed with back-to-back kills to pump the lead to three at 10-7, and Mitchell never again trailed. Thomas provided the final point of the match with a service ace, the 12th of the game for the Mariners. Stracuzzi finished with four kills in the shortened set.

Mitchell will next play at Curry College on Tuesday, September 27 at 6 p.m.