CASTLETON, Vt. - The Vermont State Castleton Spartans split on Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gymnasium. They were swept by the UMass Boston Beacons before sweeping the Fisher College Falcons in the second game.
Game 1: UMass Boston 3, Castleton 0
The set scores were 8-25, 19-25, and 24-26.
The scored was tied 3-3 early before UMass Boston took control and breezed through the set, winning by 17 points.
Castleton improved significantly in the second set. Despite being down 11-4, the Spartans were able to tie it up 14-14. The Beacons strung together five straight points en route to winning the set, 25-19.
The third set was the closest. Although the Spartans were down 20-16, they clawed back and a block by Jocelyn Ray (Essex, Vt.) and Alondra Rojas (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) tied it up 24-24 before the Beacons clinched the match with two straight points.
For the match, Ray led the team with seven kills while Rojas had a double-double with 22 assists and 13 digs.
Game 2: Castleton 3, Fisher 0
The set scores were 25-17, 25-22, and 25-23.
The Spartans used a 6-0 run early after trailing 3-2 to take an 8-3 lead which they used to take control for the rest of the set.
Castleton recorded their most kills in a single set during the day in the second set, as they picked up 15 kills.
The Spartans held a 15-9 lead in the third set before the Falcons' 7-0 run gave them a one-point advantage.
After Castleton briefly retook the lead, Fisher continued to hold a slim lead, 22-20, and the Spartans used a 5-1 run to win the match, capped by a Sam Ford (Fort Wayne, Ind.) kill.
Ford as well as Marley Hill (Austin, Texas) had a game-high 11 kills. Rojas had 32 assists, and Nicolette Vaughn (Plainfield, Ill.) had a dozen kills.
For the day, Ford and Hill led the Spartans with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Rojas had 54 assists and 20 digs.
The Spartans are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Russell Sage College for a non-conference match. First serve is set for 6 pm.
