HARTFORD, Conn. (10/1/24) – The Nichols College women's volleyball team rang in the month of October Tuesday night with a conference loss at the University of Hartford, 3-1 (19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 13-25) inside Chase arena.

The loss comes as the third in a row for the Bison, who drop to 2-8 (0-2 CNE) overall. Hartford, with the home win, improves to 7-6 (2-0 CNE).

Graduate Haylee Granato turned in a season-high 10 kills on .389 hitting, while senior Luna Colozzo delivered nine kills alongside four service aces and 12 digs. Fellow senior Ruby St. Onge also chipped in with 18 assists, as graduate Liz Diorio led the defensive game with a match-high 16 digs.  

Hartford got things started with a commanding 8-1 lead in the first set, which later grew to as many as 10 points at 14-4. With the help of several Hawk errors, Nichols rebounded to outscore Hartford by a 12-5 margin, reducing their advantage to just three points, 19-16. Despite the response, Hartford answered with a 5-0 run to bring the action to set point, before eventually winning by a 25-19 score.

The Hawks were again successful in building an early lead in the second set, climbing ahead 10-4 to force a Nichols timeout. Tasked again with battling back, the Bison rattled off three straight points out of the timeout, which included two Hawk errors and a Gabrielle McKayle kill. Down the stretch, the Bison continued to gain more ground on the Hawks, inching as close as two points late trailing 23-21. However, this would be the closest the Bison they'd get, with the Hawks claiming the final two points for the 25-21 win.

In the third set, the Bison looked like they would get their shot of taking early control of the set, claiming a 7-2 lead. But the energy soon shifted in favor of the Hawks, who proceeded to go on a 13-3 run to take a 15-10 advantage. However, the Bison were also not done, as they answered back with a dominant 9-0 run consisting of three Hawk errors, a pair of Colozzo service aces and two Frost kills to catapult them back in front 19-15, forcing a Hartford timeout. Nichols went on to win the third set 25-23, staving off both a late Hartford comeback bid and a sweep.

Despite their improved effort in the third, the Bison offense would sputter in the final frame with eight of their 13 points scored resulting of Hartford errors. On the opposite side of the net, the Hawks pulled away early by a 12-3 margin, forcing Nichols to fight from behind to try and even the match. The result would go on to be a 25-13 fourth set win for Hartford.

Women's volleyball is off until Saturday when they head back to Hartford, Connecticut for the Trinity College Tri-Match. The Bison open with the host Bantams (12-1, 2-1 NESCAC) at 1:00 PM before taking on Worcester State University (5-11, 1-0 MASCAC) at 3:00 PM.