NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Colby-Sawyer College women's volleyball team picked up two conference wins Saturday afternoon defeating New England College (25-13, 25-18, 26-24) and Mitchell College (25-19, 25-15, 25-13), improving to 3-3 in conference play.  

Rapid Recap (Match 1): 

• First-year Madison Sinatro (Simsbury, Conn.) got the Chargers on the board early with two back-to-back service aces to give the home team a 7-2 lead. Kills by first-year Kamryn Brakemeier (Fort Worth, Texas) and senior Katie Mollberg (Naples, Fla.) extended the Chargers lead 14-5. The Pilgrims chipped away at the Chargers lead with back-to-back kills, trailing the home team 8-16. The Chargers continued their offensive attack with kills by senior Ally Majenski (Marshfield, Mass.) and Mollberg, and service aces by senior Brooke Patnode (Weare, N.H.) to give the Chargers the 25-13 win in the first set.  
• The Pilgrims came out fighting in the second set, taking a 5-3 lead over the Chargers. Brakemeier got the home team back on the board with three kills in a row to give the Chargers an 11-10 lead in the second set. The Pilgrims continued to fight back, taking the offensive charge, but the Chargers counteracted with kills by sophomore Brenna Piller (Simsbury, Conn.) and Brakemeier to give the Chargers a 20-16 lead. Kills by Majenski let in the set, gave the Chargers the second set victory 25-18. 
• The Pilgrims were not ready to give up and came out hot in the third set, leading the Chargers 5-1. The Chargers and Pilgrims traded points back-and-forth throughout the third set but kills by Majenski and Mollberg gave the home team a 20-18 lead late in the third set. The Pilgrims continued to stay on the attack tying the score at 24-24, but a kill by Piller gave the Chargers the 26-24 third set victory.  

 
Inside the Numbers: 

• Patnode led the way for the Chargers with 26 assists, 15 digs, and two service aces. 
• Mollberg recorded 10 kills while Brakemeier and Majenski chipped in nine and eight kills respectively.  
• Fontes added 13 digs while Sinatro and Piller chipped in seven and six digs.  

 
Rapid Recap (Match 2): 

• The Mariners came out ready to fight in the first set against the Chargers and took an early 3-0 lead in the first set. Back-to-back kills by sophomore Brenna Piller (Simsbury, Conn.) and first-year Kamryn Brakemeier (Fort Worth, Texas) gave the Chargers a 15-10 lead. The Chargers continued to stay on the attack as senior Katie Mollberg (Naples, Fla.) put away three kills to give the home team the first set victory, 25-19.  
• The Mariners took an early 7-2 lead in the second set with back-to-back service aces, but the Chargers chipped away at the visitors lead with six service aces from sophomore Bree Bacon (Brookline, Mass.) to give the home team a 16-10 lead. The Chargers continued to stay on the attack and capitalized on the Mariners mistakes at the net to claim the second set 25-15.  
• The Chargers never let off the gas in the third set and were hungry to get the win. The home team took an early 16-3 lead with kills coming from senior Audra Fontes (Fresno, Calif.), Piller, and Brakemeier. Back-to-back kills by senior Ally Makenski (Marshfield, Mass.) extended the Chargers lead 23-9, but the Mariners continued to fight back and were able to cut the lead to 24-13, before Brakemeier put the ball away to give the Chargers the 3-0 sweep with a 25-13 third set victory.  

Inside the Numbers: 

• Patnode led the way for the Chargers in assists with 30, while Bacon chipped in two assists. 
• Brakemeier chipped in nine kills for the Chargers, while Majenski, Mollberg, and Piller added eight, seven, and five kills respectively.  
• Fontes added 21 digs for the Chargers and now sits at 5th for all-time digs for the Chargers while Patnode and Sinatro added 13 and nine digs.  

Post Game Press: 
"Today we had two important GNAC games that we wanted to win and did that in two sweeps, " said senior Brooke Patnode (Weare, N.H.). "My hitters were putting balls downs and the hustle all-round the court was a big factor in our two wins. It was a full team effort, and everyone did their job to contribute to these wins. I'm proud of the team we've become, and I know this grit will only continue in our games to come!"
 
Up Next: 
The Chargers return to action on Wednesday as they host the Vikings of Salem State in a non-conference match with a 6:00 PM start.  

By Mary Thoms