OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Union College women's volleyball team settled for a split at the Stevenson University Tri-Match on Saturday, defeating St. Mary's (Md.) College by a 3-1 score before falling to the host Mustangs in straight sets.
 
Junior Gillian Gore led Union (7-5) with 28 kills on the day, followed by classmate Lara Atalay with 22 kills. Fellow junior Kaylee Velasquez added a team-leading 31 digs in the two matches.
 
Union 3, St. Mary's 1 (17-25, 25-14, 25-16, 29-27)
 
The Dutchwomen bounced back from a slow start in the first match of the day, taking the final three sets from SMC to earn the 3-1 win.
 
Three Union players reached double figures in kills on the afternoon, led by Atalay with 18 kills on .308 hitting to go with 19 digs and three aces. Gore chipped in 16 kills and a team-best 20 digs, while fellow junior Steph Libonati hit .522 with 14 kills on 23 attempts. Freshman Haley Kresch also excelled as the starting setter, recording a season-best 45 assists.
 
After dropping the first set, Union came out strong with a 8-1 run to start the second stanza, and increased the lead to 13-2 and 18-3 on the way to an easy win. The Dutchwomen also never trailed after the opening point of the third set as the team took a 2-1 lead.
 
The fourth set was easily the most competitive, with the teams trading leads on multiple occasions. Union fought off one set point at 24-23 thanks to an Atalay kill, then fought off another set point at 27-26 thanks to a Libonati kill. With the match tied at 27, back-to-back kills by Gore and Libonati clinched the set and the match for Union. In the final frame, Union put down an impressive 23 kills on their 29 points.
 
Stevenson 3, Union 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-13)
 
Union had a much tougher time against the undefeated Mustangs, as Stevenson hit .342 as a team in posting a 3-0 victory over the Dutchwomen.
 
Gore just missed a double-double for Union in the second match, putting down a team-leading 12 kills with nine assists. Senior Maegan Teets added a team-best 21 assists and Velasquez added a team-best 17 digs.
 
The opening frame was a close one, as Union trailed 21-20 before four straight Stevenson points put the home team out in front. The visitors led for the early portion of the second stanza and were still in reach at 16-17, but Stevenson closed on an 8-3 run to take a commanding two-set lead.
 
Union did not hit well in the third frame, putting down only six of its 29 attempts while Stevenson hit .421 with 18 kills to close out the match.
 
Union will begin Liberty League play on Friday night, when the team travels to Ithaca College for a 7 p.m. match with the nationally ranked Bombers.