DANBURY, Conn. – The Castleton University women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on Saturday, falling in Little East Conference play to Western Connecticut State University in straight sets before dropping a five-set showdown with Salem State as part of the tri-match.
 
The Spartans (4-9, 0-3 LEC) lost 14-25, 19-25, 14-25 to WestConn (11-5, 3-1 LEC) before losing 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 25-15, 13-15 to Salem State (2-11).
 
Hailey Martinovich had a team-high 19 kills and 29 digs over the two matches in addition to six aces—also a team-best mark. Lizzie Goodrich added 18 kills and three blocks, while Jessica Trudeau had 14 kills and four blocks. Vanessa LeBrun tallied 11 kills, with Jen Halliday racking up 28 digs and Mackenzie Wade 27. Bre MacDuff had 60 assists and 17 digs over two matches.
 
After falling in straight sets to WestConn, the Spartans opened up the second match with an exciting 25-23 first-set victory over Salem State. Castleton trailed by 10 points late in the set—23-13—but the Spartans rattled off 12 straight points to end the frame on top. The 12-point run featured six aces from Martinovich and five kills by various Spartans.
 
Salem State took sets two and three to take a 2-1 lead in the match, but Castleton rolled to a 25-15 win in the fourth set. A five-point run late in the set pushed the Spartans ahead 24-14, and a Salem State error leveled the match at 2-2 and forced a fifth set.
 
The two teams traded points early in the final frame, but Salem State used a pair of three-point runs to move ahead 14-9. The Spartans put together another comeback attempt, pulling within one point at 14-13 after four straight points. A Spartan error was the final point that Salem State needed to seal the match, winning by two points in the fifth set, 15-13, and 3-2 in the match.
 
Castleton is back on the court Wednesday night at home against in-state rival Norwich. First serve is set for 6 p.m.