Box Score NEW LONDON, N.H. – November 8, 2013 – The Colby-Sawyer College and Maine Maritime women's volleyball teams will meet for the third straight season in Saturday's 2013 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship match after each earning a win in the semifinals, Friday evening.

Colby-Sawyer defeated Husson 3-0, while Maine Maritime downed Castleton, 3-0 to earn a seventh straight bid to the title match. The Chargers have defeated the Mariners 3-0 in last two championships.

First serve of the championship match tomorrow is scheduled for 11:30 am. Follow the action with live stats http://sidearmstats.com/colbysawyer/wvball/scoreboard.aspx and live video www.nsnsports.net 

TOURNAMENT PAGE

Colby-Sawyer 3, Husson 0 – 25-6, 25-16, 25-12 - BOX SCORE

Colby-Sawyer (21-10) led the first set from first serve en route to a 25-6 win. The set ended on one of junior Stephanie Vecchio's (Shelter Island, N.Y.) five first set kills as the Chargers hit .423 in the frame.

Husson came out strong in the second set and held the lead for the first few points. The set was knotted at 6-6 when Colby-Sawyer used a six-point spurt, capped by a Vecchio kill, to create separation. The teams traded the next several points, but the home team held on for a 25-16 win.

The Chargers jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the third set on a pair of kills from Vecchio and NAC Player of the Year, senior Emilee McBride (Strafford, N.H.). The lead ballooned to 11 on multiple occasions, but freshman Lindsay Chapman (Gorham, Maine) pulled the Eagles to within six after a kill. Colby-Sawyer responded with a strong push and eventually took the third set and the match on kills by Vecchio and McBride.

McBride and Vecchio each had 11 kills and hit .600 and .429, respectively. Senior Courtney O'Hara (Mystic, Conn.) added eight kills on .467 hitting. Sophomore Laura Smolinski (Hebron, Conn.) surpassed the 1000 assists mark this season with a match best 34. Junior Jackie Keating (Marshfield, Mass.) had a strong line of six kills, a match-high 11 digs and a match best four aces.

Husson (11-19) was led by Chapman's three kills. She added six digs for the Eagles. Freshman Casey Lopes (New Bedford, Mass.) collected seven assists and five digs. Freshman Kristen Atwood (Cumberland, Maine) recorded a pair of kills and a team-high seven digs.

Maine Maritime 3 , Castleton 0 – 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 - BOX SCORE

Third seed Castleton began the match with a 9-1 run capped by an ace from freshman Cassidy Tedeschi (Pascoag, R.I.). Maine Maritime battled back and tied the set at 12-12 with an 11-3 run capped by a Molly Marcotte (Seekonk, Mass.) kill. The set would be tied once again at 18-18 before the Mariners finished on a 7-0 run to win 25-18.

The second set also was back and forth with six ties and four lead changes. The finish of the frame mirrored that of the first set as the teams were tied at 18-18. Once again, Maine Maritime closed the set with a strong 7-3 run for a 25-12 victory.

Castleton opened a 5-0 lead in the third set on four kills and an ace by sophomore Michaela Babineau (Fitchburg, Mass.). The Spartans held the lead until the Mariners knotted the set at 9-9 on a Marcotte kill. The Mariners used a 4-0 spurt capped by a Sydney Robertson (Barnstead, N.H.) kill to take a 13-9 lead . Castleton battled back on four occasions to tie the score with the latest being at 22-22.  The comeback fell short as Maine Maritime scored the final three points ending on a Melissa Lail (Elizabeth, Colo.) kill.

Maine Maritime (18-9) was led by a 14-kill, 15 dig performance from freshman Gillian O'Neal (Burbank, Calif.). Lail and Robertson finished with seven kills apiece. Lail added a match-high 17 digs. Sophomore Samantha Tumolo (Long Island, N.Y.) registered 35 assists.

Castleton (10-14) received a team best seven kills from sophomore Kaylee Pratt (Granville, N.Y.). Sophomore Brittany Brayman (Fort Ann, N.Y.) had six kills and a team-high 16 digs. Sophomore setter Shelby Smith (Chelmsford, Mass.) recorded a double-double of 10 assists and 10 digs.