NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's volleyball team found themselves on the losing end of a five-set match at NEWMAC rivals Wellesley College. The Bears' record now sits at 12-7 (2-3 NEWMAC).

Coast Guard battled the Blue to a 24-24 stalemate before taking the opener following back-to-back kills by Eloise Shirley and Amelia Matson. Wellesley would bounce back by stifling their guests over the next two sets, winning by scores of 25-18 and 25-16 to put themselves in advantageous position. Coast Guard then turned it back around and smashed 14 kills to win set four, 25-18, and force a winner-take-all 5th set. The Bears led 8-5 at the break but were unable to contain their hosts in the end, who booked a 15-11 performance to claim the set and end the match.

Shannon Shaw and Matson went for 17 points each as the duo once again provided the bulk of Coast Guard's offensive firepower. Both players recorded 16 kills with two block assists to get their totals, with Shaw adding nine digs to her line and Matson converting at a .302 hit rate. The duo, and the entire team for that matter, were helped almost exclusively by Sophia Rosenberg, who literally one-upped her previous career-high of 46 assists from just a few days at WPI by providing 47 of Coast Guard's 49 total assists. The other two assists were credited to Kaela France, who successfully received 37 attacks.

Shirley had a respectable outing in the stat columns as well, going for nine points on seven kills with four block assists and five digs. Wellesley ended up with four players going for double-digits in points, with Kate Giang's 24.5 points (23 kills, one ace, one block assist) leading the way. Giang was also one of five Blues with double-digit digs in the contest, saving 21 herself; the hosts also had two players record 20+ assists.

Volleyball's next match brings them home on Tuesday, Oct. 15th to face Springfield College, with first serve slated for 7:00 PM. It will be the Bears first game at Alumni Gymnasium since their Oct. 1st win over Wheaton (Mass.). The Pride are 10-4 (4-1 NEWMAC) thus far and faced Coast Guard twice last season, winning both matches in straight sets; the second of the two matches knocked the Bears out of the NEWMAC Tournament.