Volleyball Drops Two at Newbury Tri-Match

BROOKLINE, Mass. - The Mitchell College women's volleyball team dropped matches by 3-0 finals to Newbury College and Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at Hellenic College.

Mitchell dropped to 3-14 overall and 0-5 in New England Collegiate Conference play.

The Mariners return to action at Dean College on Wednesday, October 19 at 7 p.m.

Match 1 - Newbury 3, Mitchell 0 (25-15, 25-9, 25-21)

In the opening match of the day, it was a pair of 13-kill outings by Courtney Banks and Kataya Sykes that carried the Nighthawks. Both players hit 13-for-20 with two errors for a hitting percentage of .550.

In the first set, the Nighthawks took control on the basis of two separate 6-1 runs. Sykes finished the set with four kills while Marlen Reynoso had two service aces. For the Mariners, Amanda Rowan and Italia Krick finished with two kills apiece in the stanza.

The Nighthawks were in full control in the second set, hitting a season-best .643 (10-14, one error). Banks served in 11 consecutive points, including a pair of aces, to break open the set to 20-4. Sykes finished with seven kills in the frame.

The final set looked to be a quick one again, as Newbury jumped out to a 20-11 advantage. However, the Mariners fought back to make life difficult for the Nighthawks, as the visitors went on 9-2 run to cut it to 22-20. A Mariners error and kills by Sykes and Banks finished the match, giving the Nighthawks the three-set victory.

Rowan finished the match with seven kills for Mitchell. Reynoso finished with five aces and 31 assists. Julia Leggett turned in a match-high 11 digs.

Match 2: Wentworth 3, Mitchell 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-10)

Wentworth's Caroline Shea led all players with 10 kills as the Leopards dispatched the Mariners in three sets. Rowan paced Mitchell with four kills while Krick added three.

In the opening set, the two teams traded points to a 5-5 tie. However, the Leopards quickly gained control, putting together two separate 7-0 runs to open up a 19-7 lead. Wentworth closed out the set at 25-12, and Shea finished the set with four kills.

In set two, runs of 6-1, 7-0, and 8-0 propelled Wentworth to a fast 25-7 victory. The Leopards amassed seven team service aces in the stanza to fuel the offense.

In the final set, Wentworth again took control with an 11-1 run in the middle of the set. Wentworth finished the third set hitting .591. In total, the Leopards finished with 17 aces.

Colby Zitoli had 11 digs for Mitchell.