STANDISH, Maine – The Colby-Sawyer College women's volleyball team rallied from an early deficit and held off a fierce push in the deciding set to capture a gritty 3-2 victory (14-25, 25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 15-11) over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday evening at the Harold Alfond Center.
Rapid Recap:
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Saint Joseph's seized the early momentum on its home floor, using a pair of multi-point service runs and a .364 hitting clip in the opening frame to hand the Chargers a 25-14 setback.
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Colby-Sawyer dug in during a tightly contested second set. Trailing 21-19, the Chargers rallied behind senior setter Bree Bacon, who sparked a 5-0 run with back-to-back kills from sophomore Addison Sasnett and first-year Haley Arp to surge ahead 24-21 before junior Kamryn Brakemeier paired with Arp on a set-ending block at 25-22.
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The Chargers carried that energy into the third set, taking control with a balanced attack and stingy serving. First-year Kaity Kelly dialed up a pair of service aces during a mid-set surge to help Colby-Sawyer pull away for a 25-19 win and take a 2-1 match lead.
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After the Monks answered by taking the fourth set 25-23 to force a winner-take-all fifth frame, Colby-Sawyer found itself trailing 7-4 early in the decider.
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Kelly stepped to the line and spearheaded a pivotal four-point turnaround, highlighted by a block and consecutive kills from sophomore Claire Rocky to vault the Chargers ahead 8-7.
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Tied at 9-9, Colby-Sawyer closed out the match on a 6-2 surge. First-year Liv Chandonnait hammered down a kill to earn match point at 14-11 before Sasnett rose up for a solo block on the final rally to seal the 15-11 triumph.
Inside the Numbers:
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Chandonnait paced the Chargers' attack with a team-high 12 kills while contributing nine digs and two assists.
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Brakemeier posted a double-double with 10 kills, 11 digs, and three service aces, while Sasnett notched nine kills and a match-ending block.
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Bacon orchestrated the offense with 34 assists, 14 digs, three kills, and a block to tally another double-double.
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Junior Madison Sinatro anchored the backcourt defense with a team-high 21 digs to go along with three assists and an ace. First-year Lucy Denu added 12 digs, one kill, and an ace.
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Kelly and sophomore Maggie Wilder joined Brakemeier with three service aces apiece, powering Colby-Sawyer to 10 total aces from the service line.
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At the net, Arp tallied two blocks alongside six kills, while Rocky added four kills and a key fifth-set block.
Up Next:
The Chargers (11-16, 7-5 GNAC) head into a homestand to finish their regular season as they host Plymouth St. tomorrow night at 7pm.
