LEWISTON, Maine - The Bates College volleyball team appeared headed for another NESCAC victory Friday evening, but visiting Connecticut College erased a two-set deficit to hand the Bobcats a heartbreaking 3-2 (23-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-12) defeat at Underhill Arena.
Bates fell to 10-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play, while the Camels improved to 5-8 and 2-4 in the NESCAC.
Anaïs Reneaum (Jr.) delivered an outstanding offensive performance for Bates, recording a team-high 13 kills with just one error on 21 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage.
Sofia Castiglioni (Sr.) added 11 kills, while senior
Elle Faris (Jr.) finished with nine.
Malina Young (Jr.) contributed seven kills, four service aces and a match-best 23 digs.
Alice Fischer (Fy.) recorded 22 assists, 11 digs and three aces, while senior
Lauren Croom (Jr.) also dished out 22 assists.
Logan Yogi (Sr.) added 15 digs of her own.
For Connecticut College, Rae Wartelle led the way with 15 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and three service aces, while Emilie Ferdinand added 12 kills.
The Camels also established a strong presence at the net, recording 12 team blocks compared to nine for Bates. Connecticut College finished with 24 block assists, led by Vibha Sheth with seven and Wartelle with five.
Bates built a 20-12 lead in the opening set before Connecticut College closed the gap to 20-17. The Bobcats pushed their advantage to 23-17 and held off another late rally to take the set, 25-23.
The Bobcats carried that momentum into the second, scoring the first six points behind Young's serve and never trailing en route to a 25-16 win and a 2-0 match lead.
Connecticut College turned the tide in the third, racing to a 19-11 advantage before holding off a late Bates rally for a 25-18 victory. The Bobcats led 13-11 in the fourth, but the Camels responded with five straight points and pulled away for another 25-18 win to force a decisive fifth set.
Bates appeared poised to secure the victory, leading 12-9 in the finale following a Castiglioni kill. Connecticut College answered with six unanswered points, including an Aubrie Letourneau service ace that tied the score at 12-12, to complete the reverse sweep, 15-12.
The garnet and white looks to rebound Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when Bates welcomes Trinity College to Underhill.
