MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On the second day of the Wesleyan Tournament, the Worcester State University's volleyball team split as they defeated Mitchell College 3-0 (25-10, 25-4, 25-17) in the first game of the day, and then dropped the second game to Western Connecticut 3-0 (21-25, 18-25, 16-25).
Worcester State 3, Mitchell College 0
The Lancers defeated the Mariners 25-10 in the first set, and then dominated the second set with a score of 25-4. Worcester State sealed the victory in the third set when they marked a final score of 25-17 in the closest set of the game.
Worcester State University's Stephanie Chapin (Hampden, Mass.) and Sarah Powers (Hopkinton, Mass.) led the Lancers past the Mariners as they each registered a game-high eight kills apiece with .227 and .350 attack percentages, respectively.
Five other Lancers chipped points in as Megan Leavens (W. Boylston, Mass.), Alexandra Nolan (Melrose, Mass.), Quinn Donovan (Marion, Mass.), Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass.), and Marissa Proia (Framingham, Mass.) all marked a .500 or better attack percentage throughout the game.
As a team, the Blue and Gold logged a .312 percentage, while holding Mitchell to a -.036 attack percentage.
Worcester's Nolan logged a game-high 20 helpers while also registering three service aces with teammates Leavens, Chapin, and Katrina Kangwijaya (Dunstable, Mass.) who led the team in digs with 21.
Leading Mitchell College was Italia Krick (Griswold, Conn.) with four kills. A trio of Mariners marked three kills apiece, including Janelle Rice (Meriden, Conn.) who marked a team-best 10 assists. Guiding the Mariners on the defensive end was Colby Zitoli (Wapole, Mass.) with a team-high 14 digs.
Worcester State 0, Western Connecticut 3
Western Connecticut State University held the Lancers to a .011 attack percentage in the second game of the day, in turn, defeating the Blue and Gold 3-0 with a .191 attack percentage.
The first set saw eight ties, up until Worcester State's service error and back-to-back kills from Western Connecticut's Kaminsky and Mikayla Aubrey (Fresno, Calif.) put the Colonels ahead for good. The second and third sets put the Colonials at victory with scores of 25-18 and 25-16.
Leading the Colonials on both ends was Cody Cordes (Fallon, Nev.) with 11 kills, a game-best attack percentage of .381 and a team-best 11 digs. Kamari King (E. Hartford, Conn.) and Karissa Smith (Bristol, Conn.) were right behind her with nine kills apiece. Danielle Kaminsky (Southington, Conn.) helped the offense with a game-high 22 assists.
For the Lancers, Chapin led the offense with seven kills, while Powers followed with six at a .150 attack percentage. Worcester's Nolan led the team in assists with 16 and also marked a team-best attack percentage of .250 with a kill. Kangwijaya tallied 12 digs on the defensive end, while Nolan, Powers and Carens each notched one block apiece.
The Lancers' (3-3) next matchup is on Tuesday (Sep. 13) when they travel to Salem State for their first conference game of the year.