WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO WESTERN CONNECTICUT, 3-1

DANBURY, Conn. – The Emmanuel College Women's Volleyball Team dropped  a 3-1 non-conference decision at Western Connecticut State University on Wednesday night.  The Saints took set one, 30-28, but were defeated in the next three, 9-25, 25-27, 20-25.  The victory keeps Western Conn unbeaten at 5-0 on the season, while Emmanuel falls to 2-3 with the loss in the Feldman Arena.

Sophomore Karissa Smith (Bristol, Conn.) led Western with 13 kills, followed by freshman Brittany Steele (Massapequa, N.Y.), who recorded 12 kills.  Rounding out the Colonial hitting attack were senior Heather Williams (Kingston, N.Y.) and sophomore Jaqueline Kanuk (New Fairfield, Conn.) with eight kills each, and senior Caitlin Van Camp (Redding, Conn.) and sophomore Cady Cordes (Fallon, Nev.), who each recorded seven kills.  Sophomore Danielle Kaminsky (Southington, Conn.) had a match-high 55 assists, while senior Nina Wojtkiewicz (Griswold, Conn.) had 34 digs on the defensive end.

For the visitors, sophomore Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.) led the way with 11 kills, while senior Sarah Colby (West Barnstable, Mass.) tallied 10 kills in 22 swings.  Junior setter Shannon Dudley (Morro, Bay, Calif.) handed out 26 assists, while senior Cara Callahan (Medway, Mass.) picked up 23 digs.

Western fell behind early in the first set, but rallied late to send the game into extra points.  Three times, the Colonials held set-point in their favor, but Emmanuel pulled out the win at 30-28.

In the second set, Western stormed out to an early lead, prompting several Emmanuel timeouts, but the Colonials hitting remained strong as they dominated for a 25-9 win.

The third set again went long, after a late comeback by Western.  Facing set-point at 24-22, Western scored three straight points to take a brief lead, before closing out the game at 27-25.

In the fourth and final set, the score remained close throughout before Western went on a small run to take a 21-17 lead.  Emmanuel forced a side-out, but Van Camp came up with two big kills down the stretch to lead Western to a 25-20 win and a 3-1 victory.

The Colonials return to action on Friday and Saturday, September 5th and 6th, when they travel to Springfield, Mass. for a tournament at Western New England University.  Emmanuel will play in the Brandeis University Invitational over the weekend.  The Saints kick off the action, facing Emerson College on Friday night at 6:00 PM in Waltham, Mass.

- Courtesy of Western Connecticut State Sports Information