Volleyball Splits with Mount Saint Mary, Curry
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's
volleyball team hosted Mount Saint Mary College and Curry College
in a non-conference tripleheader on Saturday afternoon at the
Yarnall Athletic Center.
Game 1 – Mount Saint Mary College defeated Mitchell
College, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-14)
Mount Saint Mary (3-3 overall) began its afternoon by dispatching
Mitchell (2-1 overall) in straight sets. The Knights got off to a
quick start in the first set, winning eight straight points off the
serve of Mary Ann Raftery to take a commanding 13-6 advantage.
Mitchell clawed back to within five at 22-17 but wouldn't get
any closer.
In the second set, the score was tied at 14-14 when the Knights won
six straight points to take control. Mount Saint Mary then wore
Mitchell down in the third and final set and closed out the match
behind a pair of aces from Courtney Kenney.
Kenney led the Mount Saint Mary attacked with six kills while
Teresa Sorrentino added five kills and three aces. Lauren Halverson
paced the offense with a game-high 20 assists and also had three
aces.
Leading the way for Mitchell was senior Stephanie McKeon with eight
kills. Senior Jen Bordonaro added a team-high 15 assists while
sophomore Samantha Alevras-Tarbell chipped in with 16 digs.
Game 2 – Mount Saint Mary College defeated Curry
College, 3-1 (25-19, 25-11, 24-26, 25-8)
The Knights picked up their second win of the day against Curry
(0-4 overall) in four sets. With the score tied at 18-18 in the
first set, Mount Saint Mary rallied to win seven of the next eight
points to take the early advantage. Jacqueline Nadeau had two aces
during the stretch while Kaylene Pennings added a pair of kills and
a block on set point.
Mount Saint Mary cruised to victory in the second set thanks in
part to eight straight points off Kenney's serve. Curry
fought back in the third set, winning eight of 12 points to snap a
15-15 tie and get to set point at 24-18. However, the Knights
staged a furious comeback behind three kills apiece from Sorrentino
and Pennings to tie the game at 24-24. The Colonels didn't
break, though, and rallied to take the final two points and win
their first set in program history. Jessica Crugnale provided the
final kill in the set as the Curry bench erupted in
celebration.
Mount Saint Mary came back to close the door in the fourth set by a
convincing 25-8 final. Pennings and Elizabeth Douress each finished
with double figure kills with 15 and 10, respectively, while
Halverson handed out a game-high 41 assists. Kendra LeMay led the
Colonels with five kills while Kaitlyn Poirier recorded seven
assists and Crugnale contributed nine digs and three aces.
Game 3 – Mitchell College defeated Curry College, 3-0
(25-16, 25-18, 25-16)
Mitchell bounced back from its loss earlier in the day to take care
of Curry in the final game of the tripleheader. The Mariners
finished with 28 kills and only 14 errors in the contest en route
to their second win of the season.
After taking the first set, the Mariners led 19-17 in the second
frame when Alevras-Tarbell came to the service stripe and put the
game away. She served for five straight points—including
three aces—to get Mitchell to set point. McKeon later added
the final kill off a set from Bordonaro to give the Mariners a
two-set lead.
Mitchell never trailed in the third set, taking a 7-0 lead on the
serve of freshman Barbara Fontes. The Mariners recorded seven aces
in the final set, including two each from Fontes and junior Jennie Austin.
McKeon led the way once again with eight kills while sophomore
Shayna Diggs added seven. Bordonaro finished with a game-high 18
assists while Alevras-Tarbell contributed eight digs and five aces.
Poirier led the Colonels with seven kills and Boutin chipped in
with a team-high eight assists.