LEWISTON, Maine – Bates College volleyball won the first set but dropped the next three in a 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-14) loss to Trinity College inside Alumni Gymnasium on Friday night.

The Bantams (13-7, 4-3 NESCAC) won the third and fourth sets by margins of 10 points or greater after the Bobcats (9-14, 1-6) opened the match with a 1-0 lead behind a .360 hitting percentage in set one.

Kate Giddens approached a triple-double for the visitors recording 12 kills and 10 digs in addition to seven aces on the strength of an effective jump serve. Hannah Brickley led all players with 20 kills in the match to go with 14 digs. Also for Trinity, Amy Hackett posted a double-double on 24 assists and 15 digs, and Gina Buzzelli had 14 assists.

First-year Chandler McGrath (Seal Beach, Calif.) paced the Bobcats with 11 digs while sophomore Brynn Wendel (Boxford, Mass.) followed with eight kills on .368 hitting.

First-year Aubyn Link (Houston, Texas) notched a match-high 16 digs while sophomores Laryssa Schepel (Flemington, N.J.) and Nicole Cueli (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) contributed 14 and 11 digs respectively.

Junior setter and co-captain Tess Walther (Santa Monica, Calif.) registered her third double-double of the year on 23 assists and 11 digs, and classmate and fellow captain Miranda Shapiro (New York, N.Y.) had 11 assists.

Holding an 18-16 lead in the opening set, the Bobcats closed the set with a 7-2 run to gain an early lead with Wendel, McGrath, and Link each providing kills during the stretch. The Bantams countered in set two, using an 8-0 streak midway through the set to stake an 18-8 edge riding the serve of Kristen Cooprider.

Trinity followed a similar pattern in the third set, capturing an 18-10 advantage in the middle of the set and not allowing the hosts to pull any closer than seven points. Set four featured Giddens' jump serve as she served on 12 consecutive points helping the Bantams build a 16-2 lead they would not reliquish.

Next, Bates hosts Wesleyan tomorrow at 2 p.m. while Trinity travels to Bowdoin for a match at the same time.