MADISON, N.J. – The Union College women's volleyball team increased its winning streak to five matches with a pair of victories on Saturday at Drew University, defeating the host Rangers by a 3-1 score after starting the day with a 3-0 sweep of DeSales University.
 
With the win, Union improves to 11-3, which matches the 2015 and 2014 teams for the best 14-match start to a season since the 2008 team won an incredible 30 of its first 31 matches.
 
Junior Shannon McGrath led Union with 25 kills, 18 digs and 10 service aces on the afternoon, followed by first-year Georgia Pinciaro with 23 kills and just two errors on 69 swings. Fellow first-year Allie Kronenberg dished out 60 assists and junior Georgia Pool dug out a team-best 25 balls in seven sets as well.
 
Union 3, DeSales 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-11)
 
The Garnet Chargers started the afternoon with a sweep of the Bulldogs, hitting .261 and putting down 14 kills in three sets to earn the victory.
 
Pinciaro hit .324 with a match-high 12 kills and only one error, followed by McGrath with the match's only double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Pool matched McGrath with 12 digs and sophomore Maddie McCarron chipped in five kills and a match-best five blocks.
 
Union trailed 8-6 in the opening frame before going on a massive 12-2 run that featured three kills from McGrath and two each from McCarron and classmate Erin Stevens to help take the first set. The Garnet Chargers started the second set on a 12-4 run and held a comfortable 19-11 run before the Bulldogs stormed back to get within a point at 22-21, but two DeSales errors and a Kronenberg kill gave Union a two-set edge. Union cruised to a sweep in the third set, scoring nine of the first 11 points and never looking back.
 
Union 3, Drew 1 (16-25, 25-6, 25-21, 25-7)
 
Union overcame a slow start to finish off the day with another win, hitting .290 over the final three sets to complete an undefeated afternoon. McGrath hit .306 with 14 kills and three errors on 36 attempts while also putting down six service aces to pace the squad. Kronenberg added a double-double of 32 assists and a team-best 17 digs and Pinciaro put down 11 more kills with only one error, while McCarron added six more blocks to her ledger.
 
The visitors had a forgettable start to the match, recording only seven kills and allowing the Rangers to take the opening set easily. But the team responded well in the second set, using a 7-0 run to start the frame and a 9-0 run to end it. Union hit .320 (9-1-25) and forced Drew into 15 errors and -.293 hitting in quickly evening the match.
 
The third set was the most competitive of the day. Drew held an early 9-5 edge before five straight points put Union back in front and the visitors never trailed the rest of the way. The Rangers got back within a point several times, but Union took a 20-17 lead and alternated points the rest of the way. Union then rolled to a victory in the fourth set to compete the win, scoring 22 of the final 26 points after the teams split the opening six.
 
Union will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday, when the team returns home to host Middlebury College at 7 p.m.