CASTLETON, Vt. – The Nichols women's volleyball team came away with a split following a tri-match with Western Conn. St. and host institution Castleton on Saturday at Glenbrook Gym on the campus of Castleton University. The Bison fell to the Wolves, 3-1, before sweeping the Spartans with set scores of 25-18, 25-14, 25-11.
 
After dropping the first set to WestConn, 25-13, Nichols trailed 6-0 early in the second game and got within one thanks to a Jayleen Fegan service ace. Two Wolves errors followed the ace to give the Bison their first lead of the set at 21-20. Nichols got to set point at 24-21, but the Bison couldn't hold on, allowing five-straight points from opposition, giving WestConn a 2-0 lead.
 
Double-digit attack errors from the Wolves and three kills from Haylee Granato allowed Nichols to steal a 25-14 win in the third set, prolonging the match until the fourth set, when WestConn limited Nichols to 13 points in the match-clinching 25-13 victory.
 
With a chance to bounce back after the opening loss, Nichols hopped out to an early 11-3 lead in the first set to force Castleton to take its first timeout. Jayleen Fegan, who hit at a .414 clip on the match, landed three of her five first-set kills over the opening stretch. The Spartans battled within four points late in the set, but Fegan landed two services aces in a row to give Nichols a 1-0 advantage.
 
Nichols, again, held a large lead early in set two, getting out to a 9-2 advantage, thanks in part to Rylee Plourde providing two aces. After a series of trading points, the Bison went on a run of five-consecutive points, including kills from Fegan and Granato, as well as another ace from Plourde, to lead 20-11. A Fegan service ace at set point sent Nichols into the third set with one win left to attain.
 
Two Nichols kills sent the Spartans into a timeout at 16-10 in the third, which did not slow down the Bison, who went on a 9-1 run to win, with Fegan's sixth service ace sealing the match at 25-11.
 
With the split, Nichols now sits at 12-5 on the season. In the second match, Plourde and Granato led the way out of the middle with eight kills each, hitting .727 and .375, respectively. Fegan tacked on 15 kills, hitting at a .414 clip, recording 21.5 points for the Bison. Kya Burdier and Ruby St. Onge spread out the offense, combining to dish out 39 helpers in the contest.
 
The Bison will return to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play on Tuesday, October 4 when they welcome Endicott to the Nichols Athletic Center for a 7 p.m. first serve.