Union College Athletics

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team finished fourth in the Liberty League regular-season standings after a 1-1 performance on Saturday afternoon inside Viniar Athletic Center, taking down St. Lawrence University in straight sets before battling Springfield College in a 3-1 loss. 

As the fourth seed, Union (18-9, 5-3 Liberty League) will host fifth-seeded Clarkson in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Union 3, St. Lawrence 0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-20)
The Garnet Chargers eased through the first set, taking down the Saints (13-13, 2-6 Liberty League) by 11 despite St. Lawrence totaling two more kills than the home team. Union was efficient with its seven kills on 23 swings with only one error. Union also got all 25 of its serves over the net with five aces, led by first-year Vanessa Morgan with two. Senior Erin Stevens and first-year Johanna Melhorn both got in on two block assists as well. 

The Saints marched to a 7-0 lead in the second set and built a 10-point lead at 16-6. Led by five kills from junior Kayla Martinez Cartagena, Union used a 10-point rally to take a 20-18 lead and survive St. Lawrence's attempt at tying the match up 1-1. 

Martinez Cartagena had five more kills in the third set, giving her 14 for the match with a .355 attack percentage. 

Junior Allie Kronenberg led the team with 13 digs and handed out 19 assists. She also put down three kills. She was joined by Martinez Cartagena and junior Georgia Pinciaro above .200 in attack percentage, with Pinciaro notching nine kills. 

Springfield 3, Union 1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-16, 25-13)
Beginning a brutal non-conference slate to close out the regular season, the Garnet Chargers began that stretch against Springfield (19-5) with a five-point loss in the opener.

Kronenberg helped get Union on schedule in the second, serving as part of a 3-0 rally that featured a kill from the junior as well as winners from Stevens and senior Maddie McCarron. 

Stevens and McCarron teamed up on one of Union's five blocks in the second set. Stevens ended the match with five block assists, McCarron had three, and Melhorn dazzled with seven block assists and a block solo. 

The Garnet Chargers trailed 22-21 but used a clutch 5-2 run to tie up the match 1-1. Stevens had a block and a kill during that late run on her way to nine kills overall in the four sets. 

However, those final two sets did not go Union's way with the home side hitting .143 and -.016 in the last two frames, respectively.
 
Union heads to the Big Apple for its next set of matches, beginning with NYU at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.