CLAREMONT, CA— The Union College volleyball team opened up the 2016 campaign by splitting a pair of matches on the opening day of the Pacific Coast Classic.

The Dutchwomen scored the first five points of in the opening set against No. 7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, but ultimately were unable to come out on top. Union lost 0-3 (13-25, 12-25, 26-28) as it nearly took the third set off of the nationally ranked Athenas. The Dutch found attacking success through Ally VanDoren who tallied a team high 11 kills in the contest while setter Amanda Price nearly recorded a double-double with a 22 assist and nine dig performance.

In the nightcap, the Dutch returned to face Pomona-Pitzer. The two teams traded the opening four sets forcing a decisive fifth frame. Union defense dug in as it held the Sagehens to just a .042 attack percentage helping them grab the fifth set 15-11. The Dutchwomen earned the 3-2 (14-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17, 15-11) victory with the help of a 14 kill performance from Morgan Clark as VanDoren and Alyssa Bonesteel each had double-digit kills with 13 and 10, respectively.

Union is back in action tomorrow with a double header starting with Chapman University at 9:00 a.m. (PDT).