MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Union College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (25-15, 25-11, 23-25, 25-8) non-conference contest to Middlebury College on Wednesday evening at Pepin Gymnasium.
First-year
Maddie McCarron had a strong effort to lead Union (11-8) on the night, putting down 11 kills with a .346 hitting percentage. Sophomore
Shannon McGrath added 10 kills and 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the year. Sophomore
Georgia Pool and senior
Meredith Blinn both reached double figures in digs with 14 and 11, respectively, and sophomore
Sydney Scanlon chipped in 35 assists.
Ava Tuccio and Molly Harrison paced Middlebury (11-4) with a match-high 13 kills apiece, while Katie Kraczkowsky added a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs.
Middlebury came out of the gates hot on Wednesday, putting down 16 kills with two errors for .424 hitting to take an early advantage. The visitors withstood the early charge to stay within one at 11-10 after a McGrath kill, but the Panthers closed on a 14-5 run to take a one-set lead.
Union's hung with the home team early in the second stanza, sitting at 8-6 after a kill from first-year
Graciela Escobar, but a 14-3 run opened up a 13-point edge that could not be overcome.
The Garnet Chargers did not go away quietly, however, putting together an excellent third frame to extend the match. Union put down 16 kills with only two errors (.378 hitting), led by McCarron with seven kills in the frame. The largest lead of the set for either side was just two points, last coming on a kill from senior
Keara Page that put the score at 18-16. The frame was subsequently tied at 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 before a Middlebury error and a McCarron ace clinched the set.
The Panthers came out quickly and stopped any hope of a Union comeback in the fourth frame, however, hitting .667 with 14 kills on 21 errorless attacks to finish off the match.
Union will return to action on Saturday in the North Country, when the Garnet Chargers take on Clarkson University in a Liberty League matchup at 2 p.m., followed by a non-conference match with SUNY Potsdam at 4 p.m.
