PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball team suffered a three-set loss at Plymouth State on Saturday, falling to the Panthers in Little East Conference action.
The Spartans (5-9, 0-4 LEC) fell 25-16, 25-13, 25-15 to top team in the LEC in Plymouth State (15-2, 5-0 LEC). The Panthers held a 33-21 edge in kills, 14-3 edge in aces and 40-30 edge in assists in the contest.
Hailey Martinovich led the Spartans with a seven-kill outing, followed by
Caitlin Mahoney with five kills and an ace.
Vanessa LeBrun had four kills and a team-high 13 digs in the contest.
Sophia Call added 11 digs.
Maddie Delsignore collected 14 assists in the contest.
Ryley McNeeley and Nora Ryan totaled eight kills each for the Panthers, with Ryan adding seven aces and two solo blocks. She also had three block assists. Lilli Stogner added seven kills and nine digs. Makayla Marucci led all Panthers with 10 digs.
The Spartans led the first set 8-5, but Plymouth State rattled off 10 unanswered points to run out to a 15-8 lead. The stretch was highlighted by three aces from Ryan. Plymouth tacked on four more points for a 19-9 edge, but Castleton clawed back with a 4-1 run later in the set to make it 20-13. The two sides traded points on the way out until Plymouth closed the set on top 25-16.
The Panthers raced out to a 7-1 lead and later pushed the gap to double digits in the second frame, 18-8. Castleton used a three-point run to cut the deficit to 18-11, but Plymouth hit back with five answered points to push ahead 24-12. After alternating points, the Panthers took set two by a score of 25-13.
The score was level at 5-5 in the third set before a four-point Panther run, but VTSU Castleton continued to fight and made it a one-point game at 12-11. Four more points by PSU made it 16-11 Panthers. A Plymouth error stopped the run, but a new run began shortly after that ended with Plymouth leading 23-12. Castleton posted a brief 3-1 run, but Plymouth closed our the match with a McNeeley kill, 25-15.
The Spartans return to action Wednesday night against in-state rival VTSU Lyndon at Stannard Gymnasium in Lyndonville. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
