SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team hit .315 as a unit to get its Liberty League schedule off to a good start with a 3-1 (25-17, 29-27, 20-25, 25-17) victory over Skidmore College on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Junior Shannon McGrath put down a match-high 17 kills on .313 hitting and added 14 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Sophomore Shelby McKim chipped in 13 kills on 20 attacks for an even .500 hitting percentage, while sophomore Erin Stevens and first-year Georgia Pinciaro added nine and eight kills, respectively. Junior Georgia Pool added a match-best 22 digs and first-year Allie Kronenberg registered 48 assists, 12 digs and four kills.
 
Union and Skidmore (6-12, 1-3 Liberty League) both had good days at the net, with the Garnet Chargers putting down 58 kills on .315 hitting and the Thoroughbreds hitting .227 with 55 kills.
 
The home team made only two errors in the opening frame, using a brief 4-0 run to open up a 15-10 that it would never relinquish.
 
Skidmore led for much of the second stanza and build up an 18-11 lead after a Jazlin Chen block. But Union came back with five straight points, helped by two McKim kills, followed by another 4-1 run to knot the score at 20. The home team fought off three set points at 24-23, 25-24 and 27-26 and eventually finished off the frame with three straight McGrath kills to take a commanding two-set edge.
 
The Thoroughbreds jumped out to an early lead in the third set and did not trail. Union nearly battled back from a 22-15 deficit with a 5-0 run, but Skidmore closed out with three straight points to extend the match.
 
Union scored the first three points of the fourth frame and never trailed the rest of the way to finish off the win. The visitors got within two at 14-12 before three straight Union points, and the home team closed on a 7-2 run to end the day.
 
The Garnet Chargers will head on the road for a key Liberty League weekend beginning on Friday at Ithaca College.