LEWISTON, Maine — The Bates volleyball team hit .351 Tuesday evening on its way to a straight-set victory over Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 25-14, 25-16, 25-16, in non-conference action at Underhill Arena.
The Bobcats improved to 9-1 overall with the victory, while the Monks fell to 7-7.
Bates put down 42 kills against just nine attack errors in 94 attempts. The Bobcats were especially sharp in the second set, recording 15 kills with only one error on 28 swings for a .500 hitting percentage.
Junior
Anaïs Reneaum led the attack with 11 kills and just one error on 15 attempts for a .667 hitting percentage, while adding five block assists.
Malina Young (Jr.) finished with eight kills on .316 hitting and a match-high 13 digs, while
Nora Gilmer (Jr.) added seven kills and five block assists.
Jaime Bartley-Cohen (So.) provided six kills without an error on 11 swings (.545), while
Kate Norry (Jr.) had four kills on six errorless attempts.
Bates established control midway through the opening set. With the Bobcats leading 12-9, Reneaum delivered a kill to start a 7-1 surge that pushed the advantage to 19-10. Gilmer later added consecutive kills as Bates pulled away, and an Elle Faris (Jr.) service ace closed out the 25-14 victory.
Saint Joseph's jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second, but Bates quickly erased the deficit with five straight points. The Bobcats eventually stretched their advantage to 14-9 before the Monks made a push, trimming the margin to 15-12. Bates answered, however, and finished the set on a 10-4 run. Norry supplied two late kills before Bartley-Cohen put away the final point for a 25-16 win.
The third set was tied at 9-9 before Bates seized control. Reneaum and Young combined for four kills during a 5-0 run that gave the Bobcats a 14-9 advantage. Saint Joseph's never got closer than three points the rest of the way. Bartley-Cohen helped put the match away down the stretch with two kills and a service ace, and Young delivered the final kill to complete the sweep.
Bates held Saint Joseph's to a .046 hitting percentage and finished with a 7-4 advantage in total blocks. Lauren Croom (Jr.) handed out 21 assists and added 11 digs and two service aces, while Alice Fischer (Fy.) contributed 15 helpers.
The Bobcats return to NESCAC play Friday, traveling to Middlebury College for a 7 p.m. match.
