NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Castleton volleyball team hit the road for the second time in as many nights on Thursday, falling to MCLA in non-conference road action, 3-0.
The Spartans were competitive in each of the three sets, falling 25-16, 25-20, 25-20 to drop to 4-15 on the season while MCLA improved its mark to 12-6. MCLA led Castleton 42-25 in kills, 19-6 in aces and 89-77 in digs. Castleton had a 3-2 advantage in the block department.
Hailey Martinovich had a big night with 15 kills and 14 digs, while
Denasia Pompey added five kills and a team-high 21 digs.
Caitlin Mahoney had 18 digs and
Maddie Delsignore had 11 in addition to her 21 assists.
Chloie Garber had a team-best 13 kills for MCLA, while Ellie Walter-Goodspeed had 25 digs for the Trailblazers. Garber had 16 digs and Elizabeth Brown added 15 digs to eight kills. Shannon O'Brien logged six aces and 16 assists with 12 digs.
The first set was a tight battle late in the frame, as Castleton scored twice in a row to make it a two-point game, 16-14. The Trailblazers took over from there, scoring four points in a row to a 20-14 edge. Castleton got two points back on a kill and an ace from Martinovich, but MCLA scored five unanswered to end the set, 25-16.
The second set started with an early MCLA lead, but Castleton stormed back from a 7-1 deficit to tie the set at 10-10 before eventually taking a 14-13 lead. MCLA resonded with a three-point run for an 18-16 lead it would not relinquish before eventually claiming the set and a 2-0 lead, 25-20.
Castleton led 4-3 early in the third set, but MCLA scored six in a row for a 9-4 lead behind O'Brien's service. Castleton had a 5-1 run of its own to draw within one, 11-10, but a 6-1 run on the other side gave MCLA a 17-11 lead. Castleton responded once more with a 6-0 stretch to take a one-point lead, 18-17, but five unanswered points by MCLA gave the hosts a 22-18 lead. The Trailblazers held on for a 25-20 win in the final set as well, closing out the match 3-0.
Castleton hosts Plymouth State and Fisher College in a tri-match on Saturday with matches at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
