SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior Shannon McGrath became the 10th player in program history to record 1,000 career kills as part of an excellent day at the net in leading the Union College women's volleyball team to a pair of wins on day one of the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge on Friday evening at Viniar Athletic Center. The Garnet Chargers started the day by outlasting Oswego State in a five-setter before closing the night with a 3-1 win over Bethany College.
 
McGrath led Union (6-2) by putting down 42 kills in eight sets while hitting .351 on the night to go with 23 digs, three blocks and five service aces. Sophomore Allie Kronenberg averaged over 10 assists per set with 85 in eight frames along with eight kills, five aces and 16 digs. Junior Shelby McKim hit .448 with 15 kills on 29 swings and also led the team with seven aces and eight blocks on the evening, while sophomore Melody Herrin chipped in 14 kills and seven blocks. Senior Georgia Pool led the defensive effort with a team-best 42 digs.
 
Union 3, Oswego State 2 (25-13, 22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-11)
 
Union had to battle in the first match of the weekend, coming back from a set down and needing a late comeback in the fifth frame to upend Oswego State. McGrath had a massive match with a career-high-tying 24 kills on .368 hitting and first-year Shea Ringel added 13 kills, while Kronenberg dished out a career-high 54 assists, tied for 10th most in a match in school history and the most since Sage Shimamoto '21 had 57 in 2019.
 
Union hit .414 with 14 kills and two errors to cruise to an opening-set win, but Union's hitting percentage dipped sharply over the next two frames. Oswego used an 11-2 run to take control of the second stanza and even the match, while the Lakers closed the third frame with a 6-3 mini-run to take a 2-1 lead.
 
McGrath seemingly willed Union to a win in the fourth set with eight kills and a block, as the Garnet Chargers jumped out to an 11-2 lead. Oswego got back within three at 16-13 but McGrath put down three of the next four points to start a 9-2 run that forced a fifth set.
 
The senior had six more kills in the decisive fifth frame, which saw Union trail for almost the entire set. But down by three at 11-8, the home team rattled off the final seven points of the match, with three McGrath kills and three Oswego errors helping to provide the difference.
 
Union 3, Bethany 1 (25-10, 25-9, 23-25, 25-9)
 
Union finished off the night with a 3-1 win over Bethany, using three decisive sets to overcome the Bison. McGrath again led the way with 19 kills on .325 hitting, followed by Herrin and McKim with eight kills apiece. Kronenberg and junior Sydney Scanlon combined for 45 assists and Pool led all players with 18 digs.
 
McGrath reached quadruple figures with her sixth of seven kills in the opening frame, helping the Garnet Chargers jump out to an early lead in the set and the match. The home team scored 17 of the first 22 points of the second set to cruise to a set-two win, led by four kills from Herrin.
 
After recording three errors combined in the first two sets, Union hit just .050 with 12 errors in the third frame, allowing the Bison to stay alive. But the team returned to form in the fourth set, hitting .483 with 15 kills and one error on 29 attacks to close out the match.

Winners of six straight matches, Union will look to keep the momentum going tomorrow with two matches on day two of the Crosstown Challenge, taking on Williams College at noon and Hartwick College at 2 p.m.