CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball team dropped its first home match of the 2025 season to Middlebury College on Wednesday evening inside Glenbrook Gym.

 

The Basics

• Final Score: Middlebury 3, VTSU Castleton 0
• Location: Glenbrook Gym – Castleton, Vt.
• Records: Middlebury 1-0 , VTSU Castleton 3-1

How It Happened

Middlebury jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, fueled by a .400 team hitting percentage, but Castleton fought with strong efforts at the net. Jocelyn Ray and Madison Sheehan each delivered early kills, setting the tone for a strong offensive night. Sheehan finished with eight kills, while Ray had six.  On defense, Nicolette Vaughn had several key digs part of her team-high seven digs. Despite their best efforts, Castleton couldn't slow Middlebury's offense, which had 11 kills with only three errors. The Spartans showed some resilience, but a few service errors and hard attacks led to a 25-11 setback to open the match.

 

The Spartans settled in during the second set and started to find their rhythm. Vaughn added to her dig total, while Brianna Walsh added three more digs to give her a total of five for the match. Alondra Rojas had six assists in the set and added her second kill of the night to catch Middlebury off guard. Ray added another pair of kills while Olivia Smith added two kills of her own as Castleton began to find gaps in Middlebury's defense. Despite the improvement, Middlebury maintained the lead and pulled away with the 25-12 win.

 

The Spartans came out strong in the third set. Sheehan dominated with four kills and Ray added three more to keep the score the tightest it had been all night. Castleton's defense stepped up their game as Walsh and Rojas led with key digs. The Spartans began a 4-0 run, with back-to-back kills from Sheehan and a well-placed ace from Walsh, forcing Middlebury to use a timeout. As the momentum began to build, the Spartans were able to lower the deficit to single digits but could not come up with the win.

 

By the Numbers

·  The Spartans fell to Middlebury in straight sets: 11-25, 12-25, 18-25.

•   Sheehan led Castleton with a team-high eight kills on a .636 hitting percentage.

•  Ray added six kills, continuing to hold the line.

• Rojas recorded 14 assists and contributed five digs. 

• Walsh had five digs and chipped in a key service ace.

• Castleton finished the night with 22 kills, while Middlebury hit .364 as a team with 38 kills and nine service aces.

What's Next
The Spartans return to Glenbrook Gym on Thursday, Sept. 11, with a nonconference matchup against Paul Smith's College at 6 pm.