Volleyball Outlasts Daniel Webster

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's volleyball team used the momentum from a huge first set comeback to topple Daniel Webster College by a 3-1 final on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

In a match that was closely contested throughout, the Mariners (8-12 overall, 3-4 NECC) won by set scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 and 26-24. Freshman Amanda Rowan posted a season-high 21 kills to lead all players, and sophomore Amanda Garcia added 14 kills to fuel the Mitchell attack. Daniel Webster (8-12 overall, 4-3 NECC) was led by Madeline Roulier with 16 kills.

The Eagles looked to be in complete control in the opening set, storming out of the gate to a 15-2 lead. The margin was 16-4 when Mitchell finally snapped out of its slumber, and the Mariners clawed their way back into the match behind 10 straight points on the serve of freshman Taylor Dansereau. Rowan had four kills during the stretch while senior Barbara Fontes had one, and after the run Daniel Webster's lead had been trimmed to 16-14.

The Mariners took their first lead of the set at 20-19 following an ace by sophomore Nicole Caminiti, and consecutive kills by senior Gloria Charles and Fontes later made it 24-22. A service error by the Eagles completed the comeback for the Mariners, with Rowan leading the way with five kills in the set.

Daniel Webster got out to another early lead in the second set, going up 8-1 and never trailing in the stanza. However, the Mariners made another run and got as close as one at 21-20 before Roulier closed out the set with a pair of kills in the final moments. Roulier led the Eagles with five kills in the set while Cristina Matos added four.

Mitchell fell behind 4-0 to open the third set and trailed by as many as six points before rallying back to tie it at 10-10. From there it was a back-and-forth affair until Daniel Webster pulled ahead 19-15 behind a pair of kills by Brooke Marcotte. However, the Mariners fought back and tied the set at 21-21 on a kill by Rowan, and later took the lead for good on a service ace by Charles. Rowan closed things out on set point with her seventh kill of the stanza to put Mitchell up 2-1.

The Eagles took an 8-4 lead to start the fourth set but couldn't hold on for long. Mitchell tied the score at 10-10 on a kill by Charles and later pulled ahead, taking its largest lead at 20-15. The Mariners then led 22-18 when Sarah Durocher took to the service stripe for Daniel Webster and pulled her team back into the mix with three straight aces. Mitchell never yielded the lead, however, and with the match tied at 24-24, Rowan came through yet again with a kill to set up match point. A Daniel Webster attack error gave the Mariners their final point of the night and their first win over the Eagles in the six-year history of the NECC.

Caminiti handed out 40 assists to lead the Mitchell offense and also added 15 digs. Fontes posted a team-high 20 digs while Charles chipped in with six kills and 18 digs.

Marcotte finished the night with seven kills while Matos contributed six. Ally Hayden dished out 28 assists to lead the Eagles while Maggie Bellie posted a match-high 23 digs.

Mitchell will wrap up regular season play at Elms College on Saturday, October 26 at 11 a.m. The winner of that match will earn the sixth and final spot in the upcoming NECC Championship.