Dartmouth Defeats Niagara and Hartford in Straight Sets

Saturday, September 10

Hanover, N.H.

12:30 PM

Dartmouth College

5-1

Niagara

1-9

Niagara

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Defeats Niagara and Hartford in Straight Sets

9/10/2016 2:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – On the second day of the Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, the Big Green volleyball team defeated both Niagara (25-15, 25-23, 25-21) and Hartford (25-18, 25-22, 25-15) in straight sets, improving to 5-1 on the young season.

“I thought we played better today than yesterday,” head coach Gilad Doron said. “We used different players at different times and we played more in unison than a week ago. It was good to see the improvement and, overall, it was a great team effort. Hopefully, the girls can learn from this and improve and get stronger for next weekend.”

After the final match, seniors Emily Astarita and Julia Lau were named to the All-Tournament Team. Dartmouth finished in second place with a record of 3-1, while Army was first with a perfect 4-0 mark.

DARTMOUTH VS. NIAGARA
For the second match in a row, Astarita and sophomore Zoe Leonard had double-doubles; Astarita had 12 kills and 13 digs, while Leonard had 26 assists and 13 digs. Freshman Abby Kott also had a good match, getting to double-digit kills (10) for the first time in her collegiate career.

Although Niagara got the first point of the match, Dartmouth went on to win the next 10 consecutive points off kills by Astarita (4), Kott (2) and senior Danielle Glinka (1), a pair of Purple Eagle errors and an ace by sophomore Sierra Lyle to give the home team a 10-1 edge. By the time Niagara made it to double digits, Dartmouth was just eight points away from victory (17-10). The opponent lessened the gap by going on a 5-2 run (19-15), but the Green shut the set down by winning the last five points off four Purple Eagle errors and kills by Glinka and Lyle (25-15).

The second set was a lot closer than the first. After trading points, Niagara took a 5-3 lead, but five back-to-back Dartmouth points put the Big Green up, 8-5. That lead did not last, as six of the next seven points went in the Purple Eagles' favor and soon, they were ahead, 10-9. The home team fought back and, following a kill by sophomore Morgan Dressel and a Niagara error, Dartmouth put itself in a position to win (23-18). With four straight points, the Purple Eagles got within one (23-22) and, although a Kott kill put a two-point gap between the teams, Niagara made it a one-point set right after (24-23). Astarita's kill gave set two to Dartmouth (25-23).

The Purple Eagles maintained a steady lead at the beginning of the third set and it was not until almost halfway through that the Big Green took over (10-9). The teams traded leads until kills by senior Emily Patrick, sophomore Samantha Bozoian and Kott gave Dartmouth a comfortable lead (17-14). Fast forward a few minutes and there was just one point between the teams (20-19). Kills by Astarita and Kott and an error by Niagara made it 23-19 in the Green's favor and, after each team added one more point, Kott ended the set with a kill (25-21).

DARTMOUTH VS. HARTFORD
Kott led the team in kills in the second match with 10, while Lau had 19 digs and Leonard had 19 assists. Patrick ended up with 30 total attacks to lead the team.

Leonard opened set one with two aces, getting Dartmouth off on the right foot from the very beginning. With a 13-11 advantage, the Big Green scored four of the next five points to make it 17-12 in their favor. The teams went back-and-forth for a few minutes and, with the score at 23-18, a pair of kills by Patrick handed the first set to the home team (25-18).

Hartford got the first two points off a kill and an ace and would remain ahead until halfway through the set. With Dartmouth trailing, 18-17, a kill by sophomore Sara Lindquist tied the score at 18-all, but a Green error gave the lead back to the Hawks. Four consecutive errors by the other team put Dartmouth ahead, 22-19, and, from there, the Big Green never let the Hawks catch up. They would get within one (22-21), but kills by Kott and Astarita put the home team at game point (24-21). Hartford got one more point off a kill, but Kott ended the set with a kill of her own (25-22).

The third set was the closest of the match, as there were six ties in the first six points. With Dartmouth leading, 12-10, four points off a pair of kills by Bozoian and two aces by freshman Corinne Cox put the Green ahead, 16-10. The Hawks would get within five (20-15), but that final kill that gave them their 15th point was also their last of the day. Dartmouth scored five straight off kills by Kott (2), Patrick and Astarita and a Hartford error to win the third set.

Even though it feels like tournament play just began, Dartmouth will conclude that part of the season next weekend at the West Virginia Invitational, facing Akron, Winthrop and host WVU over the course of two days.

All-Tournament
MVP – Allie Strong (Army)
Vanessa Wesley (Army)
Madelyn Kaprelyan (CCSU)
Katy Henchy (Hartford)
Emily Astarita (Dartmouth)
Julia Lau (Dartmouth)