DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Castleton University women's volleyball team opened its 2021 season on Friday, falling to UMass Dartmouth in Little East Conference action at the Tripp Athletic Center.
 
It was the first game of the season for both sides, with Castleton sitting at 0-1 and UMass Dartmouth 1-0 after the hosts won in straight sets, 25-15, 25-11, 25-7. The Corsairs hit .319 as a team, while Castleton swung at a -.027 rate. UMass Dartmouth also had a 31-19 edge in kills and 23-16 edge in assists.
 
Jessica Trudeau had a team-high six kills for Castleton, with Madison Hamelink adding four kills. Bre MacDuff had 12 assists, with Mackenzie Wade leading the team with seven digs. Meghan Zawatsky added two kills and six digs on the day.
 
Devon Laing had nine kills and eight service aces on the day to accumulate 17 points for UMass Dartmouth, while Gabriella Monico had eight kills, two assists and two blocks. Marley Alexander contributed seven kills and four aces in addition to three blocks. Courtney Carreiro had 21 assists and Vanessa Barreto 10 digs.
 
The two sides were locked in a close battle early, with UMass Dartmouth holding an 8-5 edge in the opening set after a service error by the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth responded with a five-point run, however, taking a 13-5 lead at the midway point. Castleton continued to battle in the opening set, winning three straight points late in the set, but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Corsairs took a 1-0 lead after a 25-15 set win.
 
In the middle frame, the two sides were deadlocked at 5-5 after back-to-back points by Castleton, but a 9-1 run put the Corsairs back ahead, 14-6. UMass Dartmouth scored points in small bunches from there, outscoring Castleton 11-5 the rest of the way to take set No. 2, 25-11.
 
UMass Dartmouth scored the first four points of the final set and never looked back, riding multiple three and four-point runs to a 25-7 victory in the final frame.
 
Castleton returns to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Plymouth State at Glenbrook Gym.