Mitchell College Sports Roundup

Mitchell College dropped both a tennis match and volleyball game on Saturday, while the cross-country running teams showcased a couple of strong performances but failed to crack the top 10. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College:

Women's Tennis: Lesley 9, Mitchell 0

The Mitchell College women’s tennis team fell to Lesley University by a 9-0 final in a New England Collegiate Conference contest on Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell College Tennis Courts.

Lesley (5-3 overall, 5-2 NECC) dominated the contest, sweeping through the doubles competition before winning five of six singles matches in straight sets. Michelle Side (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) paced the Lynx by picking up wins at both No. 1 doubles and singles.

The most competitive match of the day came at the top singles spot, where Side dropped the opening set to Mackenzie Flanagan (San Anselmo, Calif./San Domenico) but rallied back to win by scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Side has now defeated Flanagan in each of their two meetings this season, the only two singles losses on the year for the Mitchell sophomore.

Mitchell will next play at Regis College on Tuesday, October 11 at 4:30 p.m. Lesley returns to action at Becker College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Women's Volleyball: Regis 3, Mitchell 1

The Mitchell College women’s volleyball team dropped a 3-1 final to NECC newcomer Regis College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Regis (6-13 overall, 2-1 NECC) took the first two sets and rallied back to seal the victory in the fourth. The Pride won by set scores of 25-19, 25-20, 17-25 and 25-22. Domingas Gomes (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) and Angelica Endara (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) each finished with double-digit kill totals with 12 and 11, respectively, while Megan Pratt (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) handed out a match-high 27 assists.

Freshmen Alivia Royal (New London, Conn./New London) and Emily Stracuzzi (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) paced the Mariners (5-4 overall, 0-2 NECC) with 10 kills apiece. Sophomore Nicole Terni (Ledyard, Conn./Montville) recorded 21 assists while junior Arianna Thomas (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West) chipped in with a match-high 21 digs.

The two teams traded blows in a closely contested first set that featured seven ties and four lead changes. With the score tied at 17-17, a kill by Domingas gave the Pride the lead and the ball, and Sara Gold (North Hollywood, Calif./Notre Dame) capitalized by serving for four straight points to give Regis its biggest lead at 22-14. The Pride finished off the set with a service ace by Gomes to take the early lead.

Gold’s team trailed 5-2 early in the second set when she stepped up to the service stripe once again. This time she served for five straight points and gave the Pride a lead they would never relinquish. Regis then stretched the lead by winning eight of the next 10 points, prompting Mitchell to take a timeout to regroup with the score at 15-7. Endara contributed a pair of kills during the run, and the Pride rode the momentum to a five-point win to go up 2-0 in the match.

Mitchell responded with a strong third set to extend the contest. A kill by Royal and four straight service points from senior Brittany Zaccaria (White Plains, N.Y./Maria Regina)—including a pair of aces—gave the Mariners a 5-0 lead out of the gate. Mitchell never trailed in the set and finished with 14 kills in the stanza.

The fourth set was once again close in the early stages, though the Mariners eventually pulled ahead and took their largest lead at 14-9. Mitchell later led 17-13 when Regis turned things around, snatching the lead away behind seven straight points. Gomes was the catalyst, serving for six points and contributing three aces during the stretch. The Pride took the 20-17 lead and held off the Mariners down the stretch to capture the match.

Both Gomes and Gold finished with four aces apiece. Gomes also added a team-high 20 digs while Gold chipped in with 19. Anneliese Harrison (Holliston, Mass./Holliston) was also a presence around the net, finishing with eight kills and three block assists.

Mitchell will next play at Bay Path College on Tuesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. Regis returns to action against Newbury College at Pine Manor College on Wednesday, October 12 at 7 p.m.

Cross Country Running

The Mitchell College men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the James Earley Invitational on Saturday morning at Stanley Park.

The men’s team finished 15th out of 31 teams while the women’s team placed 37th in the field of 38. Coast Guard took home the team titles for both the men’s and women’s races.

Freshman Sherif Ali (Cliffside Park, N.J./Cliffside Park) turned in another strong performance for the men’s squad, completing the 8k course in a time of 27:15.21. He finished 18th overall out of the 306 runners in the field.

Freshmen Jake Ustjanaskos (West Hartford, Conn./Eagle Hill) and Evan Garrity (Washington, Conn./Shepaug Valley) were the next two Mitchell runners across the line. Ustjanaskos finished 66th overall with a time of 28:28.75 while Garrity placed 101st in 29:12.18. Sophomore Drew Castagna (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) and junior Zachary Hoch (Fishers Island, N.Y./Fishers Island School) completed the team scoring for the Mariners, crossing the finish in 29:35.44 and 33:40.57, respectively.

On the women’s side, freshman Katie Buchanan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) led the Mariners and finished 253rd overall out of 354 runners. She covered the 5k course in a season-best time of 24:54. Tierney Caulfield, Breanna Poirier (Bozrah, Conn./Norwich Free Academy), Juliana Huber (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill), and Lauren Koeberle (Clyde, N.Y./Clyde-Savannah) completed the team scoring for the Mariners. All seven Mitchell runners finished with their best 5k times of the season.

Mitchell will next compete at the Conn College Invitational on Saturday, October 15 at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, CT. Races begin 11 a.m.