DELHI, N.Y.- The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball team recorded a split on Saturday afternoon at Floyd L. Maines Arena. They lost to the Hamilton Continentals in the first match before defeating the SUNY-Delhi Broncos in the second.
Game 1: Hamilton 3, VTSU Castleton 0
Hamilton won in straight sets, 25-21, 25-19, and 25-20.
The Spartans briefly held a 6-5 lead before Hamilton took command, stretching it out to six points at 24-18.
Castleton made it competitive, scoring three points in a row, which cut the Continentals' lead to just three, but Hamilton was able to close out the set.
The Continentals scored the first nine points in the second set and did not look back. The Spartans cut the deficit to five a few times, but did not make it closer.
Hamilton started strong again in the third set, but Castleton did not go away quietly. The Spartans scored four consecutive points, highlighted by consecutive kills by Jocelyn Ray (Essex, Vt.), which cut the deficit to two.
Later, consecutive aces by Brianna Walsh (Dallas, Texas) tied it up 18-18, but Hamilton closed out the set and the match with a 7-2 run.
Offensively, Smith and Lilli Burrows (Yarmouth, Maine) each recorded eight kills. Defensively, Nicolette Vaughn (Plainfield, Ill.) recorded 17 digs, while Alondra Rojas (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) recorded 14 assists and also recorded 12 digs.
Game 2: VTSU Castleton 3, SUNY Delhi 0
Castleton won the sets 25-16, 25-18, and 25-13.
The Broncos held a 13-12 lead in the first set before Castleton went on a 13-3 run to win the set by nine points.
In the second set, the Spartans raced out to a 13-6 lead, highlighted by three kills by Madison Sheehan (Queensbury, N.Y.). While the Broncos made it the closest set, Castleton still won the set comfortably.
Castleton put up their strongest set in the third set, racing out to an 8-2 lead before scoring the final four points of the match and winning the set by 12.
Vaughn finished the match with 19 digs, which is the most in a match by a Spartan this season so far. Rojas increased her assist total for this match to 17 and again recorded 12 digs. Bianca Chavarria (Phoenix, Ariz.) also recorded double-digit digs by getting 11. On offense, Smith once again led the team with seven kills.
The Spartans return to Vermont to take on Middlebury College on the road on Wednesday. First serve is set for 6 pm.
