DANBURY, Conn. - Senior middle hitter Abbi Debes (New Milford, Conn.) racked up team-highs of 18 and 14 kills as the Western Connecticut State University women's volleyball squad split a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena. Her match-high 18 came as the hosts nearly upset undefeated Little East Conference nemesis Plymouth State. WestConn was edged 3-2 (17-25, 16-25, 25-16, 25-20, 19-17) in a dramatic opening contest. They rebounded to upend non-league foe Mt. St. Vincent in the late afternoon match, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-15), in which Debes notched 14 floors.

WestConn stormed onto the court and dominated the first two sets against the Panthers. They held a four-point lead midway through the third set and seemed poised to hand Plymouth their first loss. However, the visitors clawed their way back into the contest winning the next two sets, forcing a dramatic fifth and final stanza. The teams exchanged blows throughout the set but it was Plymouth who escaped with the 19-17 win. 

Plymouth then downed Mt. St. Vincent in the mid-afternoon match. The Panthers seemed a bit tired after the marathon match with WestConn but managed to capture a four set victory, improving to 17-0 overall. 

WestConn battled the Dolphins early in their match but managed to close out a pair of tightly contested sets before coasting in the third. With the split, WestConn moved to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in LEC play. Mt. St. Vincent finished the day at 8-10.

In addition to Debes' outstanding effort, junior setter Rory McMaster (Canton, Mich.) dished out a match-high 47 assists versus the Plymouth before adding another game-high 36 against Mt. St. Vincent. 

WestConn returns to action at non-conference opponent Connecticut College on Wednesday at 6 p.m.