Lemieux Leads Spartans Past Eagles
(September 30, 2009) - Poultney, VT - Reigning NAC player of the week senior Jamie Lemieux (Argyle, NY) tallied 20 kills and 7 aces to lead Castleton to a 3-0 (27-25, 26-24, 26-24) victory over Green Mountain College in women's volleyball Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans improve to 5-5 overall and 1-2 in NAC play while the Eagles drop to 4-8 (0-3, NAC).
The Spartans jumped out to an early 12-9 lead in the opening set courtesy of 5 kills by Lemieux. GMC, however, reeled off 6 consecutive points to grab a 15-12 advantage. Senior Emma Buckley (Lakeville, CT) started the run with a service ace and Junior Melanie Rodriguez (Hoboken, NJ) tallied 3 kills before Lemieux pulled Castleton back to 15-13.
With Castleton leading 25-24, Buckley served an ace, knotting the score before the Spartans tallied 2 straight points to capture the first set.
The second set was equally as tight, with neither team able to pull away. GMC again surged ahead 19-14 midway through after a pair of Rodriguez aces, but once again Castleton responded with a run of their own, tallying 7 straight points to lead 21-19. GMC drew level (24-24) on a Spartan error, but again conceded the final two points, giving Castleton a 26-24 victory and a 2-0 edge in the match.
Leading 15-13 in the 3rd set, Buckley and Rodriguez combined for 5 straight points before Castleton clawed back into the fray, eventually drawing level at 22. GMC earned a set point at 24-23, but Spartan freshman Ashley Kepaa (No. Attleboro, MA) finished a Jennifer Vibert (Farmington, CT) set to extend the game. Castleton polished the match off, scoring the final 2 points for a 26-24 (3-0) win.
Buckley was outstanding for the Eagles, tallying 16 kills and 13 digs while junior Jen McGuire (Nutley, NJ) had 10 assists.
Castleton's Vibert notched a game-high 28 assists while Keppa, Stephanie Kopko (Perkiomenville, PA), and Ariel Gregory (Schuylerville, NY) shared the defensive duties with 13, 12, and 14 digs, respectively.
Both squads return to conference play Saturday, October 3rd at a quad match hosted by GMC. The Eagles square off against Me.-Farmington at 5:30 pm followed by Thomas College at 7:30.
