CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Union College women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on day one of the Pacific Coast Classic, rebounding from a 3-1 loss to Chapman University by sweeping Occidental College, 3-0, at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Roberts Pavilion on Friday.
 
Junior Shannon McGrath got her season off to a good start for Union (1-1), combining for 28 kills and 20 digs in seven sets. First-year Allie Kronenberg began her collegiate career well with 68 assists and junior Georgia Pool recorded a team-leading 33 digs, while sophomores Erin Stevens and Maddie McCarron led the team at the net with six blocks apiece.
 
Chapman 3, Union 1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-13, 25-23)
 
Union hung with Chapman for most of the match to start the day, but a pair of close sets went the way of the Panthers to provide the difference. McGrath paced the offensive attack with 16 kills on .317 hitting and added 11 digs, and she was joined in the double-double club by Kronenberg with a match-high 36 assists and 13 digs. Union also finished the match with eight blocks, led by Stevens with five.
 
The first set of the season was very tightly contested, with neither side leading by more than one point until Chapman grabbed a 13-11 advantage. The Panthers led 18-17 before a mini 4-1 run opened up the largest lead of the frame at 22-18, and that was enough to give Chapman the opening set. Both teams hit extremely well to start the match, with Union making only two errors with 14 kills (.293) and Chapman putting down 19 kills with four errors (.319).
 
The efficiency dropped significantly for both teams in the second stanza, but Union picked up the slack at the net with seven blocks to help even the match. Stevens and McCarron had four blocks apiece and classmate Shelby McKim added three in the frame, which saw Union hold off a late Chapman rally by scoring the final four points to even the match 25-20. McGrath led the team with three of its nine kills in the set.
 
The Panthers came back with a strong third set to regain the lead. Chapman jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and the Garnet Chargers could not get within four points for the remainder of the frame, as Union hit .062 with seven kills and five errors.
 
The fourth set also was evenly matched, with the teams playing to eight ties before Union took its last lead at 14-13 following a McGrath kill. However, a 6-2 run put the Panthers up 19-16 and Union could never fully recover, even though the team killed off three match points before Chapman put down its 25th point of the frame to end the match.
 
Union 3, Occidental 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17)
 
Union rebounded from its opening loss with a strong effort against Occidental, hitting .253 as a team on the way to a 3-0 sweep. McGrath came one dig short of a double-double with 12 kills, nine digs and seven service aces in a solid all-around effort. Kronenberg chipped in 32 assists and Pool led all players with 13 digs.
 
Neither team hit well in the opening frame, with Union putting down only eight kills and Occidental adding 10. The Garnet Chargers rattled off five straight points to take their first lead at 11-9, and used four in a row to build up the largest advantage of the frame at 17-11. The Tigers battled back to knot the score at 23, but Stevens put down a kill to bring up set point and McGrath landed an ace to give Union the first set.
 
Union regained its hitting form in the second set, putting down 17 kills on .293 hitting to open up a two-set lead. McGrath and first-year Georgia Pinciaro both put down six kills to lead all players in the frame, which Union did not lead until taking a 15-14 edge that came amidst a 5-0 run. The Garnet Chargers led by as many as five (23-17) in the set on the way to the win.
 
The Garnet Chargers sprinted out to a 11-1 lead in the third frame thanks to one kill and five aces from McGrath, and the team never looked back on the way to the sweep. The junior finished the final frame with five kills to lead all players.
 
Union will finish off play at the Pacific Coast Classic tomorrow with a 1 p.m. (ET) match against California Lutheran University at the University of La Verne.