Union volleyball falls short in both matchups on Saturday

Williamsburg, Ky. – The Union College volleyball team played in two games on Saturday in the Cumberlands Invite. The first matchup of the day was against Ohio Christian, while the second was against Cumberlands. The Bulldogs fell 3-0 in each game.

Game One:

The Bulldogs began the first set with a 7-0 run that featured two service aces for Lara Gomes De Castro. Ohio Christian responded by recording a 9-2 run that tied the set 9-9.

Later in the set, Union took a 22-21 lead off a kill by Maddie Tackett, but Ohio Christian won the opening set 25-22.

With the score 22-20 in the second set, Ohio Christian tallied three straight points to win the set. In the third set, Union trailed 23-18. The Bulldogs answered with three straight points to make the score 23-21, but Ohio Christian took the third set 25-21.

Union fell 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-21.) The Bulldogs fell to 0-3 on the season, while Ohio Christian advanced to 2-2.

Union finished the matchup with 24 kills as Raquel Kessler led the team with seven. Gomes De Castro, Abigail Erby, and Maddy McGaughey each tallied a team-leading 10 digs. The Bulldogs tallied nine blocks, while Ohio Christian recorded three.

Game Two:

In Union's second game of the day, Cumberlands took a 15-5 lead in the first set. The Patriots went on to win the first set 25-13, and followed that up with a 25-12 win in the second set.

The Bulldogs held a 7-6 lead early on in the third set. Four of their first five points in the set came via kill as Kessler had three, while Jasmine Porter had the first.

Cumberlands won the next three points, and never lost the lead en route to a 25-16 victory in the third set. Union fell 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-16.) The Bulldogs are now 0-4 this season, while Cumberlands is 3-1.

Kessler tallied nine kills, which led the team. It marks the third straight game that the senior has led the team in that category. Gomes De Castro tallied 11 of the Bulldogs' 30 digs, which led the team.

Union's next game is scheduled to be at Rio Grande on Friday, Sept. 1, at 2:00 p.m. in the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic. The Bulldogs will face Milligan later that day at 8:00 p.m.