Paxton, Mass. – Castleton captured a dramatic five-set victory over Anna Maria on Saturday before dropping a tough three-set match to Suffolk in its second match at Fuller Activities Center.

The Spartans opened the day against host Anna Maria and earned a win in the first set of the day, 27-25. The two teams split the next two sets (23-25, 25-22) to give Castleton a 2-1 advantage. However, the AMCATS pulled out a 25-22 in the fourth set to force the decisive fifth.

Senior Nicole Valastro (South Glenn Falls, N.Y.) opened the set serving and the Spartans jumped ahead 5-0. Anna Maria countered with Emily Adriaansen (Pepperell, Mass.) behind the baseline scoring seven straight points to take a 9-8 advantage. The AMCATS took advantage of a Spartans' error to hold the lead at 11-10, but Castleton battled down the stretch, scoring five of the final six points of the set to win 15-11.

The Spartans were led by Amanda Chambers' (Lake George, N.Y.) 10 kills and Bridget McCarthy's (Nashua, N.H.) 20 assists. McCarthy added nine digs and five kills. Shelby Smyth also had a double-double with 12 assists and 13 digs.

Castleton ran up against a tougher team in Suffolk in their final game of the day. The Spartans pushed the Rams to the edge in the first set before falling 26-24. Castleton was nearly as close in the final two sets, dropping them by scores of 25-23 and 25-21.

Defensively, Smyth and Valastro reached double figures in digs with 11 and 10 respectively. Junior Sarah Wheeler (Kinderbrook, N.Y.) led the offense with six kills while hitting .250.  McCarthy had a team-high eight assists in the loss.