ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Western Connecticut State University senior
Julia Stoliker (Red Hook, N.Y.), tallied 13 kills, 19 digs and 13.0 points on Tuesday night. However, the women's volleyball squad was unable to come away with a win as Bard College squeaked out a 3-2 (24-26, 27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 16-14) victory at the Stevenson Athletic Center. Bard outscored WestConn 78-77 in total points.
The Wolves won the first set after nearly letting a big lead slip away. White's serving and a Thompson kill helped the visitors go ahead 11-3, and they led 20-12. Bard then scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a 22-21 lead. After a Stoliker error gave Bard a 24-23 advantage, WestConn tied it at 24 and then won the last two points on a Pribble attack error off a freshman Kayla Proscia (Holbrook, N.Y.) block and a service ace by sophomore Sophia Siruchek (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) for a 26-24 win.
The second set swung the other way. WestConn led 9-5, but Bard scored eight straight points, including an ace on graduate Student Taylor Thompson (West Point, N.Y.), to go up 13-9. Senior Ali Rondeau (Carmel, N.Y.) came off the bench and served five straight WestConn points, including three aces and a kill of her own, to give the Wolves a 16-15 lead. The set went to extra points, with Bard getting the last two points, the final one on an ace on rookie Sadie Casella (Marlboro, N.Y.), for a 27-25 win.
The visitors controlled the third set, 25-20. Sophomore Teagan White (Goffstown, N.H.) served consecutive aces to turn a 5-3 lead into an 8-3 lead, and Stoliker and Thompson kills helped the Wolves go ahead 16-6. WestConn hit .242 in the set.
WestConn led 8-2 in the fourth set after another White serving run, but Bard got back into it, and a six-point run on De La Cruz's serve gave the Bears a 15-12 advantage. The Wolves hit .040 with 11 errors in the 25-21 loss.
In the fifth set, Bard went up 10-4. Sophomore Hallie Robillard (Middletown, Conn.) served five straight points for WestConn, including two aces, to cap a six-point run that tied the set at 10. WestConn got within one at 14-15, but Bard's Nala Roman put away the last kill for a 16-14 victory.
Siruchek recorded 12 kills, four blocks and a team-high 16.0 points, and Thompson tallied 13 kills and three blocks for 15.0 points. Robillard chipped in with 10 kills, 13 digs, two aces and 12.5 points. Proscia hit .474 with 10 kills and only one error. White contributed four aces and 10 digs, and Rondeau smashed three aces. Freshman Kyra Courtemanche (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) earned 51 assists and 13 digs, and Casella recorded 11 digs.
Isis Pribble led Bard with 22 kills, four aces, 23 digs and 26.0 points. Kylah Demers had 13 kills, Paola De La Cruz dished out 40 assists, and Penelope Joosten Lingo racked up 34 digs.
WestConn falls to 4-18 overal, while Bard improves to 7-20. The Wolves host the University of Mount Saint Vincent on Thursday before wrapping up the regular season slate against visiting LEC foe Keene State on Saturday.
