Winning Streak Snapped in 3-1 Loss at Coast Guard

NEW LONDON, Conn. --  Senior setter Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) posted six kills and a team-high 29 assists in a  3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 25-16) New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) loss to Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday night.

For the first time in the month of October, the Blue fail to come away victorious and now stand at 5-8 overall and 2-5 in NEWMAC play. Coast Guard has now won seven of its last eight games and improve to 13-5 overall and 6-1 in the conference.

Senior Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) once again recorded over 20 kills, finishing the contest with a match-high 21. Fellow senior Tiffany Shou (San Jose, Calif.) matched Seebold with six digs. Libero Claire Bialek (Brookline, Mass.) had a solid defensive effort with 19 digs. Lizzy Jessen (Burbank, Calif.) also finished in double figures with 13 digs.

For the Bears, Amanda Dake (Victor, N.Y.) and Sophia Galdamez (Cardiniff by Sea, Calif.) set the tone with 14 kills each. Defensively, Kaela France (Calhan, Col.) had a match-high 21 digs. As a team, Coast Guard had 10 service aces compared to just 5 for the Blue. 

The first set began as a tight knit battle, with neither team taking control. With Wellesley trailing 10-8, Doerges posted her third kill of the first period to bring the Blue within one. Coast Guard followed up with a quick 5-1 run and forced Wellesley to use the first timeout of the match. The teams once again went back and forth, but the Bears hung on to take the set 25-21. The second set once again started off side by side, with a 10-10 tie. However, it was Wellesley who sparked a run and took a 15-10 lead thanks to a couple kills from Doerges and a service ace by Jessen. The second set came to an end off a kill by Seebold and the Blue and Bears were tied 1-1 after two sets.

Coast Guard got out to a four point lead to begin the third, but the Blue fought back and later used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to one. The Bears immediately followed with a 6-0 run of their own and took a demanding 15-8 lead. Wellesley had trouble finding another spark and eventually dropped the set 25-18 and trailed 2-1 in the march. The Blue ran out of gas in the fourth and final set, quickly going down 13-5. The Bears kept their foot on the pedal and won the set 25-16.

Wellesley seeks to get back in the winner's column with a match versus Smith on Tuesday, October 19, at 7:00 PM. Coast Guard will also play next Tuesday on the road at Springfield at 7:00 PM.