Volleyball Comes Up Just Short at Albertus Magnus

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Mitchell College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker at Albertus Magnus College on Thursday night in non-conference action at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletics Center.

The Mariners won the first two sets by scores of 29-27 and 25-22 before the Falcons rallied back to win the next two by 25-16 finals. Albertus Magnus then rode the momentum to a 15-8 tally in the final set to claim its second win over Mitchell this season.

Ariana Carter finished with 11 kills while Laurissa Amaker added 10 to lead the Mitchell offense. It marked the second time this season that each has recorded double-digit kills, as both hit the mark in the previous meeting with the Falcons. Cameron Childs contributed 25 assists, 12 digs and six service aces from the setter position while Shyla Phillips-Krick chipped in a team-high 20 digs. 

Mitchell led for the majority of the opening set until Albertus Magnus tied things up at 20-20. The two sides then battled through six ties before the Mariners came out on top thanks to a kill by Carter. In the second set, the story line was similar as Mitchell pulled ahead late and held on thanks to kills by Carter and Amaker.

The Falcons stormed back with convincing performances in the third and fourth sets, setting the stage for a fifth-set showdown. Albertus Magnus led 4-3 early and then ripped off four straight points to take control. The margin was 10-5 when Mitchell called timeout to regroup, but the hosts won five of the final eight points to secure the victory.

Mitchell (0-11 overall) will next play at Lesley University on Saturday, October 6 at 1 p.m.