CASTINE, Maine – Castleton dropped its North Atlantic Conference opener 3-0 to Maine Maritime Academy but rebounded to beat Husson 3-2 in its final match on Saturday. 

In the opening match of the day, Castleton kept it close in the first set before falling 25-17 to the Mariners. The second was even tighter with the Spartans taking a 17-16 lead late. However, the host Mariners came back to capture the 25-21 win. The final set was all Maine Maritime as they took the match with a 25-9 third-set victory. 

Castleton hit just 0.11 in the contest with 14 kills, two aces and 46 digs. Kaylee Pratt and Brittany Brayman led the team with three kills apiece while Alex Madsen dished off 10 assists. Amanda Chambers recorded a team-high 17 digs while Brayman added ten digs. Cassidy Tedeschi had a pair of aces. 

Tess Clark led the Mariners with 11 kills and 12 digs while Gillian O'Neal added nine kills, three aces and eight digs. Melissa Spaulding dished off 25 assists and had 11 digs. 

Looking for a win against Husson, Castleton dropped the first set 25-23 but rebounded to win the second 25-20 and take the third 25-19. The Eagles secured a 25-22 victory in the fourth to drawn even. The Spartans didn't allow Husson to complete the comeback as they dominated the final set 15-7. 

Castleton registered 36 kills in the contest while recording 66 digs in the win. The Eagles had 37 kills but hit just .056.  Brayman did a bit of everything in the match, with eight kills, five aces and 16 digs. Chambers, meanwhile, had 11 kills and 14 digs for the double-double. Michaela Babineau dished of a team-high 18 assists in the win. 

With the split, Castleton moves to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Spartans return to action next Saturday when they play Old Westbury and Bard at Bard.