SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Junior
Kayla Martinez Cartagena posted her third double-double of the season, and first-year
Johanna Melhorn notched her third five-block performance in the last five matches, but the Union College women's volleyball team fell 3-2 against Middlebury College inside Viniar Athletic Center on Wednesday night.
Playing at home for the first time in 18 days, the Garnet Chargers (8-6) won the first two sets against the Panthers (12-2) by scores of 25-18 and 25-19. The next three sets were just as close, but the Panthers flipped the script and won them 25-18, 25-18, 16-14.
Tied 14-14 in the first set, Melhorn's recent dominance at the net helped pull Union ahead. First, senior Erin Stevens notched a kill, followed by a service ace from first-year Vanessa Morgan, then junior Georgia Pinciaro put down a kill to put the home side up by three. Molly Harrison interrupted the Garnet Charger rally momentarily with her fourth kill of the set, but then Melhorn started getting in the way. She had three blocks over Union's final eight points, and combined with a pair of aces from junior Madisen Bailey, Union ended up coasting to a first-set victory.
Union carried that momentum into the second and never trailed while hitting .224. Martinez Cartagena had five kills without an error in the second, and junior Allie Kronenberg also was flawless on four swings while also adding eight digs and 12 assists. Stevens recorded four of her 11 kills overall in a 25-19 second set for Union on her way to her second double-digit kill performance of the year.
While Union never trailed in the second, the Panthers answered back with a wire-to-wire victory of their own in the third. Harrison had five more kills in the third for Middlebury and finished with 26 winners on 65 attempts.
The Garnet Chargers were in control 14-11 after a 7-1 run in the fourth, but the Middlebury block showed up late and registered four denials, forcing Union into a .103 attack percentage.
Middlebury had match point up five in the fifth, but after a service error from the visitors, Union roared back to tie up the tiebreaker 14-14 with senior Graciela Escobar at the line. However, the Panthers took the final two points after two close calls down the line on Union swings, and Middlebury ended up extending its winning streak to six matches against Union, dating back to 2017. Wednesday's match marked the third five-set victory for the Panthers on its current winning streak over Union.
Kronenberg finished with a single-match career-high in digs with 21 while hitting .417, and sophomore Shea Ringel went for six kills, 14 digs and an ace.
The Garnet Chargers continue their six-game homestand with a tri-match against SUNY New Paltz and Plattsburg State, beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.
