NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team dropped two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) bouts on Saturday, falling to Simmons University (16-25, 19-25, 12-25) before competing well but ultimately stumbling to Albertus Magnus College (22-25, 12-25, 20-25) in Andrews Gymnasium.

Against the Sharks, the first set featured a back-and-forth affair that Norwich kept close until a late run by Simmons extended the visitors' lead and sent them to the second frame with the edge.  Norwich nearly rebounded, capitalizing on a handful of Simmons attacking errors to maintain edges throughout the set, but another run propelled the Sharks to victory.

Simmons rushed out to a strong lead in the third and never looked back, capturing the opening tilt before topping Albertus Magnus in the second game.

Bella Belldina Ray (Martinsburg, W.Va.) led the affair with six kills, while Ava Nihill (Marshfield, Mass.) handed out six helpers.  Cameryn Jenkins (Monroe, Mich.) tallied 12 digs.

The Cadets nearly edged the Falcons in their first set, as both teams exchanged several leads before heading into the final stretch with a 22-all deadlock.  Albertus Magnus got the better of a few Norwich errors, however, taking the opening frame.

The Falcons embarked on a forceful lead in the second set, but were not as unfortunate in the third stanza as Norwich fought valiantly to remain close.  Another late scenario with the game close went the way of Albertus Magnus, however, as back-to-back kills from Emma Fallon sealed the deal.

Four different Cadets logged a team-high four kills in Belldina Ray, Lillie Ells (Centerville, Mass.), Charlotte Johnson (Moultonborough, N.H.), and Katie Finn (Peru, N.Y.).  Nihill doubled her output from the outing against Simmons, this time dishing out 13 assists, while Jenkins also recorded 30 digs.

Norwich will take nearly a week away from action, returning to the court on Friday, Oct 4, when they host Fisher College for the Cadets' annual Dig Pink Game in Andrews Gymnasium.  Gametime is set for 6:00 p.m.