SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –
Catriona Hoelperl surpassed 2,000 career assists and
Chloe Heitman recorded a double-double with 18 kills and 18 digs as the Skidmore College women's volleyball team defeated VTSU Castleton 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19) Tuesday night at Williamson Sports Center. The Thoroughbreds improved to 10-7 overall, while Castleton dropped to 6-8.
- Hoelperl handed out 42 assists to reach 565 for the season and 2,011 for her career. She entered the match just 31 assists shy of the 2,000 milestone. Hoelperl also served a match-high four aces and contributed nine digs. She is the seventh player in program history to reach 2,000 career assists.
- Heitman led all players with 18 kills on .300 hitting while matching her season-high output of 18 digs for the double-double. Natalie Pedersen added 14 kills and two block assists.
- Claire Sabo finished with seven kills on .429 hitting, while Katy O'Connell contributed six kills and a match-high five blocks, including a solo block and four block assists.
- Marlowe McIntyre collected 17 digs and two service aces.
- Skidmore finished with 51 kills and a .207 hitting percentage compared to 45 kills and .112 hitting for Castleton. The Thoroughbreds held an 8-2 advantage in blocks and an 8-5 edge in service aces.
- The opening set remained tight until Skidmore broke a 16-16 tie by scoring six of the next seven points to build a 22-17 advantage. The Thoroughbreds closed out the 25-18 victory behind 18 kills on .238 hitting.
- Castleton responded in the second, racing out to a 14-6 lead and later extending its advantage to 21-12. Skidmore battled back with six consecutive points behind McIntyre's serve to pull within 21-18. The Thoroughbreds continued to chip away and fought off three set points to make it 24-23, but a service error ended the comeback as Castleton evened the match with a 25-23 win.
- Skidmore seized control of the third set with a six-point run that turned an 11-9 lead into a 17-9 cushion. Hoelperl highlighted the surge with three service aces, including two consecutive aces to cap the run. The Thoroughbreds later scored five straight points to stretch their advantage to 23-14 before closing out the 25-19 win.
- The fourth set featured 14 ties and nine lead changes before Skidmore took control late. Trailing 18-17, the Thoroughbreds rattled off five consecutive points behind kills from Heitman, O'Connell and Pedersen, along with a Heitman ace, to move ahead 22-18. Pedersen delivered the final kill to clinch the 25-19 victory.
- Skidmore held Castleton to a .000 hitting percentage in the final set, forcing 10 attack errors. Lilli Burrows led Castleton with 10 kills, while Nicolette Vaughn finished with a match-high 21 digs. Alondra Rojas had 12 assists, nine kills, and 14 digs for the Spartans.
UP NEXT
Skidmore travels to Union, N.J., for two matches Saturday, Oct. 17. The Thoroughbreds face host Kean at 11 a.m. before taking on No. 22 Batten at 1:30 p.m.
