Women's Volleyball Stumbles in Season-Opener to WestConn, 3-1

DANBURY, CT – Junior Ali Brochu (Winsted, CT) buried a match-high 17 kills to lead the Western Connecticut State University women's volleyball squad to a season opening 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 25-11) victory over visiting Emmanuel College in Day One of the Colonial Classic on Friday at Feldman Arena. Classmate Nicolina Chenard (Ardsley, NY) chipped in with 13 floors, while rookie setter Rory McMaster (Canton, MI) dished out a match-high 35 assists in her debut.

"I'm glad we came away with the win but we have a lot of work to do," stated WestConn head coach Don Ferguson as he began his eighth season at the helm of the Colonial program. "We get right back to the arena against a pair of gritty teams for Day Two of the tournament tomorrow so I'm eager to see how we respond," he added.

In addition to Brochu's stellar .433 hitting percentage, she racked up a pair of blocks. Junior Victoria Korzan (Southbury, CT) also put forth a solid contribution with nine kills and 21 digs for the hosts.

Senior outside hitter Marissa Cataldo (Melrose, MA) led the Saints with 10 floors, while rookie setter Jalen Winfrey (Rochester, NH) finished with 23 assists. Classmate Samantha Carrigan (Plaistow, NH) recorded a match-high 24 digs, the most by an Emmanuel player in a season-opener since the program's all-time leader Yun-Ting Lee '12 recorded 35 digs in a 3-2 win over Mount Saint Mary's to open the 2011 slate.

Penn State-Berks downed Smith College, 3-1 (25-11, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16) in the nightcap. Rookie Zoe Barna (Reading, PA) notched a match-high 12 kills to lead the Nittany Lions, while junior Caleigh Johnson (Georgetown, TX) paced the Pioneers with 10.

WestConn returns to action against Penn State Berks on Saturday at 10 a.m. After a break they head back to the floor to wrap up the tournament versus Smith at 4 p.m. Emmanuel squares off against Penn at Noon before meeting Smith at 2 p.m.

*Release courtesy of WCSU Sports Information Office