NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Coast Guard celebrated seniors Claire Portigue and Noelle Tursky with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-19) win over non-conference opponent Endicott College on Saturday. With the win, the Bears improve to 16-5; the Gulls fall to 14-5.

Shannon Shaw led the Bears with a match-high 14 kills. Tursky had 10 kills, Carlee Lingle added eight, Allie Wildsmith seven, and Elizabeth Atkinson and Portigue six each. Maeve Duffin assisted on a match-high 26 of the Bears' 49 total kills, while Tursky added 18 assists. Coast Guard played well-rounded defense, with Kaela France leading the charge with a match-high 19 digs. Carmen Zipf had 17 digs and Tursky 16, while Laila Baameur and Duffin added five apiece. Vickie Mancine contributed three digs, and Wildsmith, Portuguese, and Lingle each had two. The Bears aced the Gulls five times, with Zipf having two of those. Atkinson led the Bears with four blocks.

The Bears started set one strong with a 4-0 lead capped by an Atkinson kill. However, Endicott got three kills in a row to take the lead at 8-6. At 17-10, it looked like all Endicott. However, after a Coast Guard timeout, Tursky took back her senior day with a monster kill right through the block to bring the momentum back to the Bears. Atkinson, France, Tursky, Shaw, and Lingle each had a kill to go with a Tursky ace, bringing the Bears right back into it only down two, 19-17. The Bears pushed to 24-23 on a Tursky kill, setting up France's serve. She aced the Gulls to tie the set at 24-24. Wildsmith got a kill, and Tursky solidified the set win with another kill of her own, putting the Bears on top, 26-24.

The Gills came out strong in set two, scoring the first three points. They continued with the lead, although Coast Guard got two with back-to-back kills from Shaw. at 9-7, Duffin was up to serve, and she would serve six straight, putting the Bears back ahead, 12-9. Endicott got a kill, but then Zipf was up to serve. Tursky and Lingle got kills before Zipf froze the Gulls with two aces in a row. The Bears stayed up, despite a small run from the Gulls. At 17-16, Wildsmith and Shaw kills gave Tursky the serve, giving the Bears another good serving run, Bears up 22-16. Shaw closed out the match with two kills in a row, giving the Bears the second-set win, 25-18.

Tursky served six in a row early in set three, helped by her own kill, a kill by Shaw, and three by Lingle. After an ace by Mancine and the Bears up 9-5, Endicott was forced to call a timeout. The Gulls would get as close as 19-16, but the Bears held on and were able to close out the set and match, 25-19.

The Bears are back in action on Tuesday, October 18 at home as they take on the Springfield College Pride in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play at 7 PM.