NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team returned to Andrews Hall for their final home tri-match of the season on Saturday, stringing together multiple clutch rallies and competitive stretches but ultimately falling in straight sets to Vermont State University Castleton and Trinity College.

The day opened with a rematch of last weekend's clash between the Cadets and Spartans, as VTSU Castleton earned another 3-0 decision (18-25, 16-25, 14-25).  Bella Belldina Ray (Martinsburg, W.Va.) tallied five kills and three blocks to lead the Norwich attack, while Vanessa Whitmill (Fremont, Calif.) added four kills and three blocks of her own.  Sarah DeBot (Rochester, N.Y.) recorded a team-best six assists, and Grace Davie (Lynnfield, Mass.) paced the defense with 15 digs.

Norwich opened the match on fire, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and extending the margin to 7-2.  VTSU Castleton slowly chipped away and eventually took a 19-13 lead, but the Cadets roared back with a 5-0 burst, capped by a service ace from Charlotte Johnson (Moultonborough, N.H.) and a Whitmill kill, to close the gap to 19-18.  The Spartans responded with six straight points to claim the opening set, then rode their momentum through the next two frames.  Norwich rallied off three late points in the third set, but VTSU Castleton closed the door with a final kill to seal the match.

In the second contest of the day, Trinity came from behind to defeat VTSU Castleton, 3-1, before taking on the Cadets in the nightcap.  Despite a strong early push from Norwich, the Bantams claimed a 3-0 win (10-25, 13-25, 14-25) behind a series of extended scoring runs.

Whitmill again led the offense with three kills, while DeBot and Kelsey Slane (West Sand Lake, N.Y.) recorded eight assists and seven digs, respectively.  After battling to a 6-6 tie in the opening set, Norwich was held to just four points the rest of the way as Trinity surged ahead.  The second and third sets followed a similar arc, with the Cadets keeping pace early before the Bantams pulled away with strong serving and front-row pressure.

Norwich will close its seven-match homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 9, hosting Plymouth State University in a non-conference matchup at 6:00 p.m.  The Cadets will then hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday, Sept. 13, for a tri-match at Framingham State University against the Rams and Husson University.