NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's volleyball team celebrated Senior Day today and hosted a tri-match, but the Bears exited the day winless. NEWMAC rivals Clark University won the first match of the day at 11 a.m., sweeping their hosts with scores of 25-22, 25-16, and 25-21; Coast Guard's second match at 3 p.m. ended in another sweep, this time at the hands of non-conference opponents Brandeis University, who won with scores of 25-21, 25-19, 25-17.

The Bears finish the season with a 17-10 (6-5 NEWMAC) record, and they'll enter the upcoming NEWMAC Championship Tournament as the seventh seed. The tri-match served as the regular season conclusion for both of Coast Guard's guests, as well. Clark lost to Brandeis in the second match of the day at 1 p.m., finishing their season with a 14-11 (7-4 NEWMAC) record and claiming the fourth seed in the NEWMAC Tournament, setting them up to host fifth seed Babson College in the opening round.

Brandeis finishes their season with a 16-11 overall record. The Judges now look ahead to their own conference tournament, into which their 1-6 record in the highly competitive University Athletic Association slots them as the seventh seed. They'll face second seed Case Western Reserve University in the tournament's opening round.

Prior to game one, Coast Guard honored the senior members of their team. Pin attackers Shannon Shaw and Carlee Lingle and libero Kaela France, as well as student-manager Stone Grant, were all recognized for their contributions to the Academy's women's volleyball program over the past four years.

Coast Guard was extremely unlucky in converting their kills during the ensuing game, finishing with a .070 attack efficiency rate, their worst mark of the season. They hit .095 (11 kills, seven errors on 42 attempts) in the first set and -.047 (seven kills, nine errors on 43 attempts) in the second, but turned it around to hit .163 (11 kills, four errors on 43 attempts) in the third. The Cougars hit .212 in the match.

Shaw and first-year attacker Amelia Matson had Coast Guard's best offensive performances, each putting up 9.5 points on nine kills and one block assist. France was the match's leader in digs, with 22, while sophomore setter Sophia Rosenberg was even with her Cougars counterpart, Emily Newman, with 17 assists. Clark outside hitter Victoria Pastor was credited for 19.5 points on 17 kills, two service aces, and one block assist.

The Bears hit a slightly improved .098 in their second match of the day. They went .026 (seven kills, six errors on 39 attempts) in the first set before flipping it to .143 (11 kills, six errors on 35 attempts) in the second set and .132 (12 kills, seven errors on 38 attempts) in the third. Brandeis was able to hit .217 for the match and outperformed Coast Guard in every major team stat besides blocks, in which the hosts tallied seven to the Judges' six.

Sophomore attacker Abigail Schweitzer led Coast Guard in points and kills, converting eight attacks and putting down a solo block for a nine-point showing. Right behind her was junior middle blocker Mack Boose with 8.5 points on five kills, two solo blocks, and three block assists. Sophomore middle Samantha Ventimiglia added a few highlights to her own reel, totaling six kills and one block assist. France and Rosenberg led the match in digs and assists, respectively, as the libero tallied 19 successful receptions, and the setter served up 23 helpers. Judges hitter Lara Verstovsek was on another level, going for 25 kills on a .426% attack rate.

The Bears will head up to Western Massachusetts next Tuesday for their NEWMAC Tournament opening round match-up vs. second seed Springfield College at 7 p.m. Coast Guard won this season's hard-fought regular season clash, 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-16). Shaw, Matson, and sophomore middle Eloise Shirley put up double-digit points. The match will be Coast Guard's first NEWMAC opening round game on the road since 2022, which they lost to Springfield in straight sets.