CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball team won the first set in the match against Russell Sage College on Wednesday evening, but the Gators took the next three to sink the Spartans 3-1 at Glenbrook Gym.
VTSU Castleton (6-15) picked up a 25-15 win in the opening frame thanks to a 9-0 run that solidified a lead, but the Gators (7-16) won the next three sets 25-21, 25-20, 25-20. Sage had a 45-36 edge in kills, 20-8 lead in aces and a 60-48 advantage in digs as a team. Both sides hit at similar percentages, with Sage clocking in a .159 and Castleton hitting .150 as a team. Seniors
Caitlin Mahoney and
Maddie Delsignore were recognized prior to the contest in a Senior Night ceremony, recognizing their accomplishments and dedication to the program.
Hailey Martinovich led the Spartans with 11 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double, while Mahoney added seven kills, two aces and a pair of blocks.
Madison Sheehan had five kills, four aces and a block.
Jocelyn Ray netted eight kills, and
Vanessa LeBrun had five kills as well as a team-leading 16 digs. Delsignore inched closer to the program's single-season record for assists, as well as the 1,000-assist milestone, notching 28 helpers in the match. She enters the final two contests of the season 12 assists shy of 1,000 and 10 assists shy of tying the single-season record.
Macey Salvione led all players with 18 kills in the match and tallied 14 digs as well. She also had a match-high eight aces. Savannah Peterson led the Gators with 15 digs and Emma Freidel dished out 28 assists.
Castleton led 5-1 early in the first set before Sage stormed back to take a 7-6 lead. The Gators led 11-7 before Castleton began to mount a comeback. A 5-0 run bookended by kills from Martinovich and LeBrun made it 12-11 Spartans, and a later 9-0 run that featured a trio of aces by Sheehan put the Spartans ahead 21-12. The lead was enough for the Spartans to coast to a 1-0 lead as Martinovich collected a kill to end the first frame.
The second set began in a similar manner with Castleton leading 6-2, but Sage began to chip away. The two sides traded points to an 8-4 Spartan lead, but seven unanswered points by Sage put the Gators ahead 11-8. This time, the visitors kept Castleton at bay by not allowing the Spartans to string together more than two points at a time until late in the frame. Trailing 24-17, VTSU Castleton went on a 4-0 run to threaten the Gators at 24-21. Aniyah Kelley put an end to the comeback with a kill for a 25-21 victory in the second set for Sage and a 1-1 score in the match.
The third set began as a back-and-forth affair, with the two sides exchanging points in chunks to a 15-14 lead for the Gators. A three-point spurt by Sage put them ahead 18-14, and they kept Castleton at a distance the remainder of the set to take a 2-1 lead thanks to a 25-20 third-set victory.
VTSU Castleton led 9-6 early in the fourth frame after an ace by Mahoney, but a 6-0 run by Sage put the visitors ahead 12-9 thanks to three aces in the stretch by Salvione. Castleton battled back to regain the lead, 16-15, thanks to a pair of Spartan kills. The two sides traded points to an 18-18 score before Sage rattled off three in a row for a 21-18 edge. That was enough cushion for the Gators to close out the night with another 25-20 victory and seal the 3-1 final in the match.
The two sides finished the season 1-1 head-to-head, with the visiting team winning each matchup.
The Spartans conclude the season on Saturday with a home tri-match, hosting Southern Maine in Little East action at 11 a.m. and Fisher in non-conference action at 3 p.m. USM and Fisher will play a neutral-site match at 1 p.m. at Glenbrook Gym.
