Skidmore College Athletics

UNION, N.J. – The Skidmore College women's volleyball team dropped a pair of non-conference matches Saturday at Harwood Arena, falling to host Kean in five sets, 3-2 (25-17, 29-27, 23-25, 15-25, 6-15), before No. 22 Batten earned a 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-19) victory. The Thoroughbreds, who won the opening two sets against Kean, moved to 10-9 overall.
 
MATCH 1: Kean 3, Skidmore 2

• Chloe Heitman led Skidmore with 14 kills on .244 hitting and a match-high five service aces. Katy O'Connell added nine kills on .261 hitting, while Natalie Pedersen and Oia Hughes contributed seven kills apiece.
• Catriona Hoelperl posted a double-double with 33 assists and 12 digs while adding two aces and two block assists.
• Marlowe McIntyre collected a team-high 13 digs and three aces, while Pedersen served four aces. Skidmore matched its season high with 15 service aces.
• The Thoroughbreds seized control of the opening set after a 14-14 tie, rattling off eight consecutive points behind McIntyre's serve to build a 22-14 advantage. McIntyre fired three aces during the decisive run before Heitman delivered the final ace to clinch the 25-17 win.
• The second set featured 12 ties as Kean built a 22-19 lead late. Pedersen responded with three consecutive service aces to pull Skidmore even at 22. The teams traded points deep into extra play before a Kean service error and a Hoelperl ace broke a 27-27 tie to give the Thoroughbreds a 29-27 victory and a two-set advantage.
• Kean responded in the third, opening a 19-13 lead before Skidmore surged back behind Heitman's serve. Heitman fired four aces during a five-point run to pull the Thoroughbreds within 19-18. Skidmore later tied the set at 23, but the Cougars claimed the final two points to extend the match with a 25-23 win.
• The Cougars carried the momentum into the fourth, pulling away for a 25-15 victory to force a deciding set. Kean then broke a 1-1 tie with 10 consecutive points to build an 11-1 advantage in the fifth before closing out the comeback, 15-6.
• Kean finished with a 55-40 advantage in kills and hit .197 compared to .095 for Skidmore. Cayley Elena Morrison powered the Cougars with a match-high 20 kills on .533 hitting, while Annabelle Valencia collected 22 digs. Rae Marrero finished with 36 assists and 10 digs.

 
MATCH 2: No. 22 Batten 3, Skidmore 0

• Heitman again paced the Thoroughbreds with nine kills on .250 hitting and five digs. Pedersen finished with six kills, while Hughes added four. O'Connell contributed three kills and a team-high four block assists.
• Hoelperl handed out 23 assists and collected six digs to finish Saturday with 56 assists across the two matches.
• Athena Braverman led Skidmore with seven digs, while Cece Kilroy served two aces.
• Batten controlled the opening set after an early 4-4 tie, using an 8-2 stretch to build a 12-6 advantage. The Marlins hit .324 with 16 kills in the frame and pulled away for a 25-14 win.
• The second set remained competitive through an 8-8 tie before Batten rattled off five straight points to move ahead 13-8. Skidmore produced its strongest offensive set of the match with 12 kills on .267 hitting, but Batten maintained its advantage and closed out the 25-19 victory.
• Skidmore responded with a strong start to the third, scoring five consecutive points behind Kilroy's serve to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 9-5 lead. Kilroy highlighted the stretch with two aces. Batten answered with four straight points to tie the score at 9 before the Thoroughbreds rebuilt their advantage to 13-10.
• The Marlins seized control from there, scoring seven of the next eight points to move ahead 17-14. Batten maintained its lead down the stretch and completed the sweep with another 25-19 win.
• Batten finished with 46 kills on .282 hitting compared to 26 kills on .133 hitting for Skidmore. Aajah Vazquez powered the Marlins with 11 kills on .600 hitting, while Anna Moody also finished with 11 kills. Brenna Raymond collected a match-high 14 digs as Batten improved to 19-4 overall.

 
UP NEXT
Skidmore returns home for a pair of Liberty League matches next weekend at Williamson Sports Center. The Thoroughbreds host William Smith on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. before welcoming RIT on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. for their Dig Pink Match.