CASTLETON, Vt. - Castleton captured the first set but struggled to find a consistent rhythm in the final three as they dropped a 3-1 decision to MCLA on Thursday evening in Glenbrook Gym.

The Spartans used 12 kills to open with a 25-21 victory in the opening set, however, the Trailblazers responded in the second with a 25-16 win. They continued their strong play in the final two sets, taking down Castleton 25-19 and 25-17.

MCLA totaled 42 kills on the evening, 13 more than the Spartans' 29, and hit .144 for the match. Castleton out-dug the Trailblazers by a 78-61 margin, with four players reaching double figures. 

Freshman Shelby Smyth (Chelmsford, Mass.) led the team with 18 digs while classmate Bridget McCarthy (Nashua, N.H.) added 15 and junior Ruth Tomlinson (Huntington, Vt.) had 13). Amanda Chambers (Lake George, N.Y.) also reached double figures with 11. 

Offensively, McCarthy led the team with 13 assists and was one of five players with five kills. Junior Grace Schreiber (Cheshire, Conn.) hit a team-high .250 and finished with five kills.

Julia Christian (Cohoes, N.Y.) led the Trailblazers offense by hitting .297 with 16 kills. Brittany Kish (East Longmeadow, Mass.) added 23 assists and eight digs while libero Kelley Bryant (West Springfield, Mass.) had a match-high 19 digs.

Castleton drops to 2-4 on the season while MCLA improves to 1-7 on the year.
The Spartans return to action on Sept. 18 when they face off against Cobleskill at 6 p.m.