NEW LONDON, Conn. –
For the third time just this week, Coast Guard volleyball earned a victory on their home court. After a five-setter with KP and four-setter with Conn College, they took care of business in straight sets today with a 3-0(25-3, 25-18, 25-15) win over the Buccaneers. Mass Maritime falls to 2-2 with the loss, they will travel to Curry College on Tuesday for a 6:00 pm match.
Last night in their defeat of Conn, CGA turned their fortunes around thanks to numerous lengthy scoring runs. Today, the Bears started right off where they left off, scoring the first 10 points of the match.
Ava Ahokovi (Honolulu, Hawaii) was at the line for the 10-point run and had three aces. Up 12-3, the Bears again when on a lengthy run, this time for 13 consecutive points to close out the set. In the 13-point run, senior setter
Keira Whalen (Philadelphia, Pa.), who started her career at Mass Maritime, entered the action and delivered a dig, two assists, and a kill, all in the span of four points.
In the second, Coast Guard again jumped out hot, this time to a 9-3 advantage. With the score at 10-4, freshman setter
Allie Jenkins (Dripping Springs, Tex.) entered the action for the first time in her collegiate career. Jenkins wasted no time making her mark with an ace as her first touch. Two points later Jenkins notched her first career kill, following that up with her first assist. The first assist came on a kill by fellow freshman
Ellie Glover (Colorado Springs, Col.), the second of back-to-back kills for her. After MMA rattled off seven of eight points later in the set, Coast Guard saw themselves ahead by just five at 23-18. The Bears did allow the Buccaneers to get any closer however, with
Corey Lemmer (San Francisco, Cal.) and
Ellie Glover kills to close out the set.
In the third, the Bears took care of business. Coming off three straight five-set matches and the four-setter with Conn, they finally got to home after just three, the final blow coming on an
Asia Fulp (Seaside, Cal.) kill.
Keira Whalen led the way for the Bears, with a team-high 15 assists to go along with four digs.
Ava Ahokovi was second on the squad in assists with five and led the team with four aces. The load was spread on defense, 14 different Bears recording digs, none in double figures. Sophomore
Bella Samaniego (Yucaipa, Cal.) had the team-high of nine, followed shortly after by
Julia Gallinger (Garrison, N.Y.) with eight.
Similarly on the attack, Coast Guard spread it around.
Corey Lemmer had a team high of eight followed by
Abby Schweitzer (Emmaus, Pa.) and
Alaina Corbin (Stafford, Va.) at six apiece, with seven others recording at least one. After her block party earlier in the week
Sam Ventimiglia (Key West, Fla.) again led the team with three.
Coast Guard improves to 4-2 with the win. The final match of the Bear's lengthy seven match home stretch will come on Tuesday September 15th at 6:00 pm vs Nichols College. Nichols currently sits at 0-6 but will play Rhode Island College later this afternoon.
