CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's volleyball team split a pair of matches in the Vermont Volleyball Classic on Saturday, falling to Norwich 3-0 before winning in an instant classic against NVU-Johnson, 3-2, in a match that featured a late-fifth-set comeback for the Spartans.
Castleton improves to 2-1 on the season after Saturday's action, while Norwich is 3-0 and NVU-Johnson is 1-2.
Hailey Martinovich had 29 kills on the day, including 21 kills in the Johnson match—seventh-most in a single match in program history. She is only the third player ever to reach the 20-kill mark in a single match and is the first to do so since 2016.
Maddie Delsignore's 38 assists rank as the fifth-most in a single match in team history, and Castleton's 53 kills as a team against Johnson are tied for fourth-most in a single match in program history.
Castleton won the first set against Johnson 26-24 after a late comeback in the frame by the Badgers, but Johnson got revenge in the second set with a 27-25 win—again requiring extra points to decide a winner in the set. The third set went the way of the Badgers as well, with NVU-Johnson taking a 2-1 lead after a 25-17 victory. Castleton evened the tilt in the fourth set with a convincing 25-10 set win before closing the match out 17-15—once again needing extra points.
The final frame was not without drama, as Castleton trailed 13-9 late in the race to 15 points. A service error by the Badgers gave Castleton life at 13-10 and sparked a 4-0 run that ended with the score level at 13-13. A kill by the Badgers stopped the run and gave the visitors the edge ahead 14-13, but Martinovich came through in the clutch to tie the match 14-14. Johnson again took the lead, 15-14, but a service error gave Castleton the serve back with the score level at 15-15.
Denasia Pompey notched a kill to give the Spartans match point, and Martinovich capped the night with an emphatic swing to seal the victory, 17-15 in the set and 3-2 in the match.
Vanessa LeBrun had 14 kills in the match while
Mackenzie Wade added 26 digs. Martinovich also logged 18 digs and four aces in addition to her kill numbers, while Delsignore had 11 digs as well.
Johnson's Christina Betham amassed 27 kills, while Mason Lores added nine kills and 35 assists from her setter position. Max Ludlow had six aces and 18 digs with Jimmi Lynn Williams adding 22 digs herself.
Norwich 3, Castleton 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-14)
Martinovich had a team-best eight kills in the opener against Norwich, adding 10 digs and a block assist defensively. LeBrun had five kills and 14 digs for the Spartans, while Wade added nine digs and Delsignore had seven. Delsignore also had 17 assists.
The Cadets were led by 14 kills from Ana Lopez and seven from Sam Lebruska, while Lebruska added 11 digs with five service aces. Sarah Farnum dished out 32 assists and Laura Farnum led all Norwich players with 12 digs.
Norwich took an early lead in the opening set, going ahead 7-1 behind Lebruska's strong service. The Spartans rallied, however, going on an 8-2 run to tie the score at 9-9 with kills by a trio of Spartans. Castleton and Norwich traded points for a brief time, but the Cadets pulled away with a late 5-0 run to take a 23-14 lead before winning the opening set 25-17.
The second set was an even battle in the early-going, with both sides scoring in bunches before the score settled at 11-10 Norwich following a service ace by
Caitlin Mahoney. The Cadets rattled off three more points to take a 14-10 lead, and Castleton continued to hang tough to a 17-14 score after Martinovich logged a kill. A 7-1 run put Norwich into set point. Castleton forced a side-out, but Norwich returned the favor on the ensuing serve to claim set two, 25-16.
Noriwch controlled the first half of the final set, racing out to a 14-3 lead. Castleton buckled down and went on a 6-1 run later in the set to make it 19-11 but it was too little, too late as the Cadets capped the match with a kill from Giovanna Fruci, 25-14.
Castleton returns to the court Wednesday night at 6 p.m. when it hosts Union.
