Volleyball Tops NEC, Falls to Lasell in GNAC Tri-Match

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's volleyball team split a GNAC tri-match on their home court Saturday, falling 3-1 to Lasell University before rebounding with a 3-1 victory over New England College at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

After besting the Lasers 3-1 in the opening set of the day, Lasell bounced back to sweep the next three by scores of 25-23, 25-21, and 25-15. In their second match of the day, the Mariners took the opening set from the Pilgrims 26-24 before dropping the second stanza 25-16. Mitchell then responded by closing out the match with set scores of 25-21 and 25-19.

The Mariners (6-10, 4-5 GNAC) will return to conference action when they host Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday, October 11th, at 7:00 pm.

Match 1, Lasell 3, Mitchell 1

The Mariners came out of the gate on fire against the one-loss Lasers, matching them point for point early on as the score settled at 5-5. Lasell would not lead again, as Mitchell junior Allison Blum (Garden Grove, Cali.) tallied seven kills in the set, carrying the home squad to a convincing seven-point victory. Unfortently for the Mariners, Lasell would come alive, downing them in the next three sets to extend their winning streak to 13 games.

Blum led the Mariners with a match-high 17 kills against the Lasers, while junior Bliss Brown (Rainbow City, Ala.) added 14 kills and 15 digs. Jenna Blankenship (Virden, Ill.) handed out a team-best 12 assists and added 10 digs, while Hannah O'Brien (Riverside, R.I.) also notched a double-double with 13 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Julia Lent (Miller Place, N.Y.) chipped in 11 digs, keeping her streak of double-digit digs in every match this season alive.

Tori Scambray led the Lasers with 14 kills, while Maddie Caro added 21 digs, and Sydney Katz was credited with 37 assists.

Match 2 – Mitchell 3, NEC 1

In the second match of the day, the Mariners pulled off a clutch 26-24 win in the opening set. With the score tied 24-24, the Pilgrims committed an attack error, which then set Jenna Blankenship up to deliver a service ace to close things out. NEC bounced back with a dominating 25-16 second set, but after this the Mariners regrouped and pushed through, snapping their four-match losing streak with a 3-1 win.

It was once again Allison Blum who powered the Mitchell offense, as the junior finished with 17 kills for the second consecutive match to go along with a season-high 29 digs. Bliss Brown added 13 kills and 15 digs, while Hannah O'Brien dished out a team-best 17 assists, and Julia Lent made it 16 games in a row with double-digit digs to begin the season, tallying 12. Blankenship contributed 13 assists, two kills, and two service aces in the win.

Torrance Robertson led the Pilgrims with 11 kills, while Krissy Cardello had 20 digs, and Aurora Gutierrez-Macias passed out 17 assists.