KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team got the 2019 season off on the right foot on Friday, sweeping a pair of matches on day one of the Keuka College Invitational. The Dutchwomen began the year with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-15) win over Lasell University, then swept the host Wolves by the same 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-12) score.
 
Junior Gillian Gore led Union (2-0) with a team-best 21 kills and classmate Katie Moss finished with 16 kills on excellent .405 hitting. Both players also chipped in a team-best four blocks apiece. Defensively, sophomore Jessica Siragusa posted a team-leading 32 digs, while senior Maegan Teets and freshman Haley Kresch both added a team-high 27 assists each.
 
Union 3, Lasell 0
The first match of the day was an easy one for Union, as the team put down 32 kills with only eight errors in a straight-set win over Lasell.
 
Moss led a well-rounded effort with nine kills on 24 errorless attacks, followed by Gore and classmate Lara Atalay with seven kills each. Gore added five digs, four service aces and a solo block to her ledger. Teets chipped in a team-high 14 assists and Siragusa had 12 digs to lead the defense.
 
Union 3, Keuka 0
The Dutchwomen were challenged by Keuka in the second match, but Union fought off deficits in each of the first two frames on the way to pulling out a victory.
 
In the opening set, Union trailed for a majority of the frame, and faced three set points in a row down 24-21. But back-to-back kills by junior Steph Libonati and Gore were followed up by a big block from Moss and classmate Julia Louis that knotted the score at 24. The Wolves staved off one set point to even the score at 25, but another Union kill and a Keuka attack error gave the Dutchwomen the lead.
 
Keuka jumped out to another early lead in the second set, taking nine of the first 12 points. The visitors trailed until back-to-back kills by Gore finally put the Dutchwomen up 18-17. Up by a point at 22-21, Union took the final three rallies to secure a two-set advantage.
 
Union finally had a strong start in the third frame, scoring eight of the first nine points to gain control early and never let the Wolves in the set.
 
Gore led Union with 14 kills, followed by Libonati with eight and Moss with seven. Siragusa had a big effort defensively with 20 digs, while Kresch had 20 assists in just two sets of work.
 
Union will look to finish the weekend strong with two more matches at the Keuka Invitational tomorrow, taking on Hilbert College at 10 a.m. and Rowan University at noon.