PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.- The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball team defeated the Plattsburgh State Cardinals in a five-set thriller Friday evening at Memorial Hall. The set scores were 14-25, 25-23, 25-20, 11-25, and 15-10.
With the win, the Spartans improve to 5-2.
Plattsburgh State jumped out to an early lead, but Castleton hung around until midway through the set, with Marley Hill (Austin, Texas) recording a couple of kills during that time. However, the Cardinals proved to be too much in the set, winning 25-14.
Despite trailing for much of the set, the Spartans turned things around in the second set. The turnaround really began after back-to-back kills by Jocelyn Ray (Essex, Vt.), which prompted Plattsburgh to call a time-out, but the Cardinals still led 20-19. Castleton won the set by scoring three straight points and clinched the set after a Plattsburgh attack error.
Castleton led early in the third set, but later found themselves in a hole, trailing 15-12. The Spartans rallied, going on a 13-5 run to win the set 25-20. Lilli Burrows (Yarmouth, Maine) had three of her 10 kills during this run.
The Spartans looked strong to begin the fourth set, with Sam Ford (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Bianca Chavarria (Phoenix, Ariz.) getting early kills, and Chavarria picked up an ace. After a 5-4 Castleton lead, the Cardinals took over and cruised through the fourth set, winning 25-11.
Castleton had an early lead in the fifth set, but Plattsburgh tied it a few times. After an 8-8 tie, Castleton responded with a 7-2 run to win the set and match. Ray, who ended up with 18 kills, closed the match with consecutive kills.
Alondra Rojas (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) recorded a season-high 35 assists, while Nicolette Vaughn (Plainfield, Ill.) put up a season-high 25 digs.
Next, the Spartans return home to open LEC play against Western Connecticut State and face Russell Sage in a non-conference matchup as part of a tri-match. Those matches are set for 11 am and 3 pm, respectively.
