DANBURY, Conn. - The Western Connecticut State University women's volleyball squad drop both their matches as they hosted a tri-match between the University of Hartford and United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena.
Merchant Marine 3, WestConn 1 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21)
WestConn found its best form in the third set, riding a strong finish to force a fourth, but the Mariners closed it out from there. Senior Julia Stoliker (Red Hook, N.Y.) led the Wolves with 11 kills, and sophomore Hallie Robillard (Middletown, Conn.) added eight. Junior Arianna LaPointe (Boynton Beach, Fla.) dished out 26 assists and served four aces, and freshman Sadie Casella (Marlboro, N.Y.) paced the defense with 10 digs. Graduate student Taylor Thompson (West Point, N.Y.) chipped in six kills, including a service ace and an attack-error forcing stretch that helped WestConn briefly threaten in the first set.
Hartford 3, WestConn 0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19)
The hosts couldn't slow down Hartford's Camille Earl, who strung together an extended service run in the second set — six-plus points on her serve, including two aces — that broke the match open. Stoliker again topped the Wolves with 11 kills, and sophomore Sophia Siruchek (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) added seven. LaPointe ran the offense with 21 assists, and Casella again led with 12 digs. Thompson served up a pair of aces, and senior Ali Rondeau (Carmel, N.Y.) and freshman Kayla Proscia (Holbrook, N.Y.) rounded out the rotation, with Proscia contributing a trio of blocks on the day.
The results dropped WestConn to 2-8 overall on the season heading into Little East Conference play next weekend. First, they host non-league foe Farmingdale State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. USMMA downed Hartford in the neutral matchup.Â
