LEWISTON, M.E. - Women's volleyball dropped a four-set match to Bates College on Friday evening, falling to 17-4 overall on the year. The Saints battled in a tightly contested opening set before Bates took control in the second. Emmanuel responded with a strong third-set performance but was unable to complete the comeback, falling by scores of 28-26, 25-17, 18-25 and 25-20.
The Saints came out competing in the opening set, trading points with the Bobcats in a back-and-forth battle that extended beyond the 25-point mark. Emmanuel recorded 17 kills in the frame, but Bates edged the Saints, 28-26, to take the early advantage. Bates carried that momentum into the second set, using an efficient offensive attack to secure a more comfortable 25-17 victory and move within one set of closing out the match.
Emmanuel responded in the third set with its strongest offensive performance of the evening. The Saints tallied 17 kills while hitting an impressive .387, pulling away for a 25-18 win to extend the match and force a fourth set. Letitia Bossou and Delilah Davis continued to lead the attack as the Saints looked to even the match.
Bates regained control in the fourth set, limiting Emmanuel's opportunities at the net to close out the 25-20 victory. Despite the loss, Emmanuel was still able to come away with some positives. The Saints finished with advantages in kills (56-46), assists (53-45), service aces (11-6) and digs (66-57). Bates' 14 blocks, however, proved to be a key difference in the contest.
Bossou paced Emmanuel with 19 kills, while Davis added 14 and Scheala Nielsen contributed nine. Kennedy Horne dished out a team-high 21 assists, and Sofia Petrucci anchored the defense with 24 digs. Frances Ramos Rodriguez also made an impact at the net, recording five block assists and a team-high four service aces.
Women's volleyball returns to Andy Yosinoff court on Tuesday for a massive match in conference play, with the Lasell Lasers coming to town. The first serve of this GNAC showdown will be at 7:00 PM.
