Women's Volleyball Sends Seniors Off With Win Over Mitchell

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's volleyball team closed their 2015 home schedule with a 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-21, 25-15) victory over visiting Mitchell College in a New England Collegiate Conference match at Picknelly Arena Saturday afternoon. The Blazers improve to 5-17 overall, and 2-5 in the NECC, while Mitchell falls to 1-5 in league play, and 3-12 on the season.

Prior to the match, the Blazers honored their departing seniors, Shannon Bolton (Shelton, Conn.) and Alex Mack (Wilbraham, Mass.).

The Blazers raced to a 10-2 lead to open the first set, led by three kills from freshman Danielle Redding (Las Vegas, N.V.) and two kills from freshman Rachel Magnuson (Miller Place, N.Y.). The Mariners cut their deficit to 12-9 by capitalizing on errors by Elms. Leading 16-15, the Blazers closed the first set on a 9-0 run, fueled by four kills from Redding, to take a 25-15 win.

In the second set, the teams traded points to open play, finding themselves knotted at 5-5. Tied 7-7, the Mariners took the lead behind kills from junior Amanda Rowan (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and senior Emily Stracuzzi (Groton, Conn.), but a kill from freshman Caroline Locke (West Springfield, Mass.) and an ace from Mack keep the Blazers within two, 12-10. A pair of kills from Mitchell senior Amanda Garcia (New Britain, Conn.) put the Mariners up 17-13. Mitchell errors kept the Blazers close down the stretch, but kills from Garcia and Stracuzzi iced the 25-23 win.

The Blazers took an early 6-2 lead in the third set, capitalizing on four straight attack errors by Mitchell. The Mariners cut it to an 8-7 game. Elms took the lead in the set for good with an 10-0 run, featuring a pair of kills from Mack and sophomore Lindsey McNiff (Kingston, Mass.), to pad their advantage to 18-7. The squads exchanged points, and then Mitchell rattled off three straight points to trim the deficit to 22-15. Elms used kills from Mack and Redding to close out the 25-21 set victory.

In the final set, Elms grabbed an early 5-0 lead, eventually pushing the advantage to 9-4 on back-to-back service aces from junior Carolyn Campbell (Millers Falls, Mass.). After trading points, the Blazers kept the Mariners at bay on three straight attack errors by Mitchell, making it a 16-8 game. Mitchell mounted one final rally, cutting the Blazers lead to 21-15 behind a pair of kills from Garcia. The Blazers wrapped up the win with a pair of kills from Mack to send Elms to the 3-1 win with a 25-15 victory in the fourth set.

"I think this is the first time we've come away with a win on Senior Day," said Elms College Head Coach Sheila Gisbrecht. "Shannon and Alex were the first group that really brought leadership to the underclassmen, and increasing our team expectations. They both put up good numbers, but it's more of the soft skills that they brought to this program, and the teaching of the underclassmen, that will really leave their mark for years to come. Our seniors really stepped it up a notch today, and I'm happy with how we played. The most spectacular thing from the match was the way the team was able to rebound after seeing a teammate leave with an injury in the second set. They responded by making the adjustments we needed to make in order to continue playing at a high level, which was really good to see. Heading into our final two games, I really need the team to rest up, we'll spend some time working on adjustments to our own system depending on our injury situation, and then watch some film and figure out what it will take to beat Lesley!"

Redding led the Blazers attack with a match-high 16 kills with a match-high 22 digs, registering her third double-double of the season. Mack and sophomore Kate Moriarty (Agawam, Mass.) tallied nine kills each, setting a career-high for Moriarty, while Mack moved into fifth all-time in kills in program history. Bolton racked up 40 assists, matching a career-high, with 15 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. McNiff added six kills, while Locke snared a career-high 19 digs in the win.

Mitchell was paced by Garcia with 11 kills and a match-high five blocks. Rowan chipped in  eight kills, and Stracuzzi had eight kills with nine digs. Senior Nicole Caminiti (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) totaled 29 assists with 12 digs. Senior Kaisea Caramante (Old Lyme, Conn.) recorded a team-high 15 digs, while sophomore Italia Krick (Griswold, Conn.) had 14 digs and four kills.

The Blazers will return to the court in non-conference action at Eastern Nazarene College Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Mitchell hosts Albertus Magnus in non-conference play Monday at 6:00 p.m.

ELMS VOLLEYBALL