WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team erased an early six-point deficit with an 11-3 run in the first set before eventually dropping a three-set decision to Trinity College Tuesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium. Trinity won by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-15.
The loss is only Eastern's (9-6) second in its last six matches this year and is Trinity's (9-4) first sweep of the Warriors in eight years. Eastern had beaten the Bantams three straight and in five of the previous six meeting entering the night. Trinity has won five straight (the last four in sweeps) since splitting its first eight matches this year.
During the 11-3 which turned a six-point deficit into a two-point, 13-11 lead in the first set, junior
Bella Johnson (Marlborough) and first-year player
Haley Jo Bridges (Montebello, NY) each had two kills and first-year player
Brooke Praskievicz (Moodus) a kill and service ace. Praskievicz served three straight points that gave Eastern its first lead, 11-10, but Trinity later countered with seven straight points to open up an 18-13 lead. Six-foot-three inch Bella Caffuzzi and six-foot Eva Lekovic each contributed two kills in that 18-13 run and the Warriors would not get closer than one the rest of the way.
Eastern's only lead of the second set came on junior
Taylor Smith's (Bowie, MD) kill on the opening serve. Leading by a point, the Bantams outscored Eastern 7-1 to move out to a six-point, 15-9 lead. With Eastern facing set point, Praskievicz served two points on a kill by sophomore
Taylor Thompson (West Point, NY) and one from first-year player
Maggie Barr (East Hampton, MA) before six-foot-1 inch Ava Boloyan put away a set from Caroline Howell to end it.
Leading the third set by three points, Trinity ran off nine of the final 11 points to sweep Eastern for the tenth time in the 26-match all-time series.
In the match, Eastern attached at only .064 – its second-worst of the season. The Bantams using 14 blocks to contributed to Eastern's sub-.100 percentage, and attacked at .239 – the highest percentage against Eastern this season.
Praskievicz led Eastern with ten kills and 13 digs, sophomore setter
Liz Squire (Trevor, WI) setting for 21 assists and following Praskievicz with 11 digs, and sophomore
Sadie Blackwell (Southbury) and senior
Paige Savitsky (Centereach, NY) each had two service aces, with Blackwell also collecting nine digs. Junior libero
Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin) had a .950 reception percentage on 20 attempts. Smith attacked at .300 with five kills on ten attempts.
Caffuzzi had a match-high 11 kills and a .526 attack percentage and Boloyan six kills and a .625 attack percentage for Trinity, which also got nine kills from Lekovic. Howell set for 20 assists, libero Scarlett Jago serving three aces and leading both teams with 18 digs, Julia Torre adding 12. Caffuzzi was one of six Trinity players with at least a block, collecting a solo and four assists.
Eastern played the match without one of its regular setters and also lost one of its top offensive players with an injury early in the second set.
Eastern visits VTSU Castleton in a Little East Conference match Saturday at 1 p.m.
