SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team shook off a straight-set loss to SUNY Brockport to start the day by coming back to defeat Arcadia University in four sets to split its two matches on Saturday afternoon at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Junior Gillian Gore led the Union attack with 25 kills, nine service aces and 30 digs, followed by classmate Lara Atalay with 19 kills, three aces and 28 digs. Fellow junior Kaylee Velasquez also chipped in 28 digs defensively, while junior Sage Shimamoto added 63 assists and six kills as well.
 
Brockport 3, Union 0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-23)
 
Union ran into a hot-hitting Brockport squad in the first match of the day, as the Golden Eagles hit .327 as a team on the way to a straight-set win.
 
Atalay was the lone Dutchwoman in double figures with 10 kills, while Gore chipped in eight kills, five aces and a team-best 14 digs; and junior Julia Louis added seven kills. Brockport's Lindsey Luce led all players with 16 kills on .500 hitting.
 
The Golden Eagles led from the start in the opening frame, building up a lead of as many as nine points. A 7-0 run got the home team close at 18-16 before the visitors built up a 24-18 advantage, which was just enough as Union fought off five set points before finally succumbing.
 
Union led very early in the second stanza before a prolonged 12-2 run gave Brockport plenty of breathing room on the way to a 2-0 lead. The Dutchwomen held a 13-10 lead midway through the third set before seven straight points gave Brockport a lead it would never relinquish.
 
Union 3, Arcadia 1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21)
 
Union dropped its first set against Arcadia but came back in strong fashion, battling through the final three sets to defeat the Knights and earn a split on the day.
 
Gore had another big effort with 17 kills, 16 digs and four aces, while Atalay just missed a double-double with a match-high 21 digs, nine kills, three aces and three blocks. Junior Katie Moss also had an excellent effort with eight kills on .412 hitting to go with three blocks.
 
After dropping the first set, Union fought back with a match-best 14 kills in the second stanza. Arcadia came out with five of the first six points, but the Dutchwomen responded with a 9-2 run to regain the lead. Union allowed Arcadia to earn consecutive points only twice the rest of the game to even the match.
 
The Golden Eagles again started strong in the third set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead. The home team stayed close but never held a lead until the final three points, as four straight attack errors finished off a 6-0 run that put the Dutchwomen ahead by a set.
 
The fourth frame was easily the most competitive of the day, featuring 12 ties and six lead changes – more than the first three sets combined. Neither team gained more than a two-point edge in the early stages, until Union found a little daylight thanks to kills by Shimamoto and Atalay that put the home team up 20-17. Still up by three at 22-19, kills from Atalay, Louis and Gore helped to alternate points and give Union the win.
 
Union will return to the court on Friday at 4 p.m. at Vassar University.