Volleyball Trumps Albertus Magnus 3-0

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Mitchell College women's volleyball team picked up a 3-0 victory over Albertus Magnus College on Monday night in non-conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center. 

The Mariners won by set scores of 25-9, 25-16, and 25-16. Senior Olivia DeLoach paced the well balanced Mitchell offense with a team-high eight kills, while junior Sarah Aviles matched her season best with seven kills. Freshman libero Julia Lent was credited with a team leading 12 digs, Claire Binfield dished out 16 assists, and sophomore Allison Blum delivered six service aces for the Mariners, who snapped a two-game losing streak. 

With the win, Mitchell secured a season sweep of Albertus and improved their record to 9-7 on the season. 

With Blum serving to lead off the game, the Mariners scored seven consecutive points. DeLoach and Avilies registered kills during the hot start, while Blum excelled on the delivery, posting two service aces. A service error eventually stopped the bleeding for the Falcons, but the deficit was insurmountable, and the Mariners never trailed by fewer than six. A 6-0 run by Mitchell down the stretch helped put the Falcons away, and an attack error by Peyton Davis sealed the set for the home squad. 

The second set was more of the same, with the Mariners reeling off 10 of the first 13 points which led to an Albertus timeout. A 6-1 run by the Falcons gave them momentum, however Mitchell then picked up eight of the next time points to turn the tide. Albertus rallied, scoring five straight, but kills by Bree Rudolph and Molly Steel-Miller gave the Mariners some breathing room, and the set was capped on a service error by Albertus. 

The third set was much closer in the early going, as the two teams found themselves tied at 9-9. Seven of the next eight points then went to Mitchell, and runs of 4-0 and 3-0 followed down the stretch to put away the visitors.

Joismar Aviles led the Falcons with five kills and Shalese Gordon had 10 assists in the losing effort.

The Mariners will now hit the road for their next two games, opening conference play on Wednesday, October 12th at New England College before facing Lesley on Saturday afternoon. Albertus Magnus (5-16) host Anna Maria on Saturday, October 15th at 11:00 am.