Box Score New London, N.H. – Castleton earned a split to close out their North Atlantic Conference schedule, opening the day with a 3-0 victory over the University of Maine at Farmington before concluding with a 3-0 loss at the hands of host Colby-Sawyer on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans took down the Beavers 25-18 in the first set and then followed it up with a 25-21 win in the second set. They finished off the match with a 25-23 victory in the final set.
Senior Nicole Valasto (So. Glens Falls, N.Y.) led the team with 16 digs and also finished second on the squad with eight kills while hitting .294. Junior Grace Schreiber (Cheshire, Conn.) contributed a team-high nine kills in the win.
Freshman Shelby Smyth (Chelmsford, Mass.) had three service aces and finished just a dig shy of a double-double with 10 assists and nine digs. Classmate Amanda Chambers (Lake George, N.Y.) added nine digs, and recorded six kills.
Castleton faced a much steeper test in the second match of the evening. The Chargers showed why they have yet to lose a match in conference play, taking down the Spartans 25-5, 25-10, 25-10.
Chambers finished with ten digs and three kills in the loss while Valastro registered four kills and 13 digs. Freshman Maggie Smith (Holden, Mass.) also finished with four kills.
Castleton moves to 8-10 on the season and 4-3 in the NAC, its best record since going 5-2 in 2009.
The Spartans return to action on Wednesday when they host Norwich at 7 p.m.
