SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on day one of the 2023 Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge, held at Viniar Athletic Center on Friday night. The Garnet Chargers fell to Springfield College, 3-0, but came back to defeat SUNY Oneonta, 3-1.
 
Sophomore Shannon McGrath and first-year Maddie McCarron paced Union (5-5) offensively on the night, with McGrath putting down a team-best 22 kills and McCarron adding 14. The first-year also led the team with eight blocks on the evening. Classmate Sydney Scanlon chipped in a team-best 32 assists, while senior Brooke Fleming had 30 assists and a team-high seven service aces. Sophomore Georgia Pool posed a team-leading 25 digs as well.
 
Springfield 3, Union 0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-18)
Union went up against a strong Springfield squad in the first match of the day, hanging with the Pride for much of the match before succumbing in straight sets.
 
McGrath posted a team-best seven kills and senior Caroline Fraser put down three kills on four errorless swings. Pool led the team with 11 digs and also had four assists.
 
Neither team led by more than two points for much of the opening frame, until a 5-0 Springfield run with the match tied at 16 provided enough breathing room to take the set. Union started strong in the second stanza with five straight points, but the Pride responded with an 8-0 run soon after to take back the lead at 12-7. The home team got within one on multiple occasions, but could never get back to even and Springfield closed on a 4-1 run to take the middle frame.
 
The Pride took control of the third set early with an 11-2 run, and the Garnet Chargers never got back within six the rest of the way.
 
Union 3, SUNY Oneonta 1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-14, 25-15)
Union had a much better time in the second match of the day, putting down 48 kills and hitting .279 as a team in a 3-1 win over SUNY Oneonta.
 
McGrath hit .343 with a match-high 15 kills, and McCarron had a big game at the net with 10 kills and a season-high seven blocks to go with four aces. Fleming dished out a season-high 22 assists and Scanlon recorded her first career double-double with 18 assists and a season-best 10 digs.
 
Union took control of the match early, scoring six of the first set's first seven points and eventually building up a 19-6 advantage before cruising to the set-one win. Oneonta built up an early lead in the second set and Union could never get back over the hump, tying the score on five occasions but allowing the Red Dragons to even the match at one.
 
The home team used an 8-1 run to take an early lead in the third set, as Union hit .414 with 14 kills and only two errors to get back in front. Union then closed with a .348 fourth set, putting down 10 kills again with only two errors to finish off the Red Dragons.
 
Union will be back in action tomorrow with two more matches at the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge, taking on Nichols College at 10 a.m. and Drew University at 4 p.m.