CASTLETON, Vt. — The Vermont State Castleton Spartans clinched the final spot in next week's Little East Conference tournament with a thrilling five-set victory over the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen on Saturday's first match at Glenbrook Gymnasium before falling in straight sets to the St. Lawrence University Saints in the second match.
The Spartans finish the regular season at 11-13 and 2-6 in LEC play.
Before the first match, Castleton honored seniors Jocelyn Ray (Essex, Vt.), Alondra Rojas (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Madison Sheehan (Queensbury, N.Y.).
Game 1: Castleton 3, Rhode Island College 2
The set scores were 25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 14-25, and 20-18
Rhode Island College took a 20-13 in the first set, but the Spartans reversed course, going on a 12-2 run to win the set 25-22. Rojas had four kills during the run.
In the second set, the Anchorwomen ran off to a similar start but were able to hold on. Castleton made in competitive late and Ray had consecutive service aces during this run.
The Spartans put up their best set of the match in the third set, winning 25-16. Sam Ford (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had seven kills in this set.
The Anchorwomen jumped out to a lead early in the fourth set and did not look back, winning 25-14.
Rhode Island College had match point several times in the fifth set, but Castleton refused to go away. Down 18-17, the Spartans managed to score three consecutive points to win the set and the match, as they clinched their first LEC tournament appearance in program history.
For the match, Rojas had a triple-double with 32 assists, 20 digs, and 13 kills, while Nicolette Vaughn (Plainfield, Ill.) had 28 digs.
Game 2: St. Lawrence 3, Castleton 0
The set scores were 22-25, 15-25, and 18-25.
Castleton was trailing for a majority of the first set but were within striking distance. Lilli Burrows (Yarmouth, Maine) had three kills in the set.
The Saints had their best set of the match in the second set, winning 25-15. The Spartans were up for a chunk of the third set, but a 9-0 Saint Lawrence run erased the Castleton lead and helped them sweep the match.
For the second match, Burrows had seven kills, Rojas had 17 assists, and Vaughn had 11 digs. For the two matches, the leaders were Rojas (17 kills, 49 assists), and Vaughn (39 digs).
The Spartans will play next at Keene State on Tuesday in the first round of the LEC Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6 pm.
