DANBURY, Conn. - Senior
Julia Stoliker (Red Hook, N.Y.) racked up a match-high 18.5 points on 16 kills, 20 digs and three blocks on Thursday night to lift the Western Connecticut State University women's volleyball squad over the visiting University of Mount Saint Vincent 3-2 (25-15, 15-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-13) in a non-conference battle at Stephen Feldman Arena.
WestConn won the first set after taking control early. Freshman Kyra Courtemanche (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) served two aces to help the Wolves go ahead 4-0, and graduate student Taylor Thompson (West Point, N.Y.) served four straight points to put the hosts up 12-5. Mount Saint Vincent got within three, but Thompson went on another serving run late in the set. Stoliker had three straight kills during it, and she finished the set with a block for a 25-15 win.
Mount Saint Vincent took the next two sets. In the second set, Alysa Padgett's serve helped the Dolphins to a 7-1 lead, and WestConn had trouble with eight errors in a 25-15 loss. The third set was tight. Sophomore Hallie Robillard (Middletown, Conn.) and senior Ali Rondeau (Carmel, N.Y.) helped the Wolves hold a lead midway through, and Thompson's ace tied it at 22-22. Mount Saint Vincent then won the last three points, including a bad set and a Stoliker attack error, to take it 25-22.
In the fourth set, the hosts led 7-2 behind sophomore Teagan White's (Goffstown, N.H.) serving and went up 13-8 after three straight Rondeau points. Courtemanche then served three consecutive aces to make it 17-8. Later, Robillard served three straight aces to widen a 20-13 lead into a 23-13 advantage. Stoliker's kill ended the set, 25-16.
WestConn raced to a 3-0 lead in the fifth set, but the Dolphins tied it several times and led 13-11. The Wolves won the last four points. Robillard served them, and sophomore Sophia Siruchek (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) had two straight kills off Courtemanche sets for a 15-13 win.
Courtemanche recorded 39 assists and a match-high eight aces. Robillard nailed 10 kills, three aces and 13.5 points, and Thompson finished with seven kills, two aces and 10.0 points. Siruchek had seven kills and four blocks, and rookie Kayla Proscia (Holbrook, N.Y.) had four kills. White led the Wolves in digs after Stoliker with 10.
WestConn totaled 47 kills to 41, 14 aces to 10, and a 56-50 edge in digs. Starns led with 11 kills for the Dolphins, Anna Nolasco notched nine kills and 13 digs, and Padgett hit .462 with eight kills. Stephanie Rodriguez handed out 22 assists and Dominique Otranto earned five blocks.
WestConn improves to 5-18 overall, while Mount Saint Vincent falls to 9-16. The Wolves return to action on Senior Day when they host Little East Conference nemesis Keene State on Saturday at 1 p.m.
