Volleyball Falls 3-1 to Albertus Magnus

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's volleyball team opened the 2014 season with a 3-1 loss to Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Falcons (1-3 overall) picked up their first win of the season thanks to strong efforts by Amy Seliga and Caitlin Prete, who finished with 12 and eight kills, respectively. Leanna Velez handed out 26 assists while Alyssa Puccilli contributed a team-high 24 digs.

Mitchell (0-1 overall) was led by junior Amanda Garcia, who posted a match-high 13 kills and added 4.5 blocks. Freshman Myia Williams also reached double digits with 10 kills in her collegiate debut. Junior Nicole Caminiti dished out 28 assists while classmate Kaisea Caramante added 33 digs.

Albertus Magnus took the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-18 before Mitchell held on for a 25-23 win in the third set. The Falcons trailed briefly in the fourth set before taking the lead for good behind six straight points off the serve of Ramona Onofrio. The lead ballooned to as many as 10 before Albertus closed out the match by a 25-19 margin in the set.

Onofrio finished with a match-high five service aces and added 11 digs. The Falcons held an 11-5 advantage in aces and committed five fewer service errors than their counterparts.

Mitchell will next host a tri-match against Pine Manor College (1 p.m.) and SUNY Purchase (5 p.m.) on Saturday, September 6. Albertus Magnus returns to action at home against Bay Path College on Thursday, September 11 at 7 p.m.