WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes University women's volleyball squad wrapped up their 2021 season by hosting Rutgers-Camden and Alfred University Saturday afternoon at the Marts Center.  The Senior Day festivities honored Laura Booths (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne) and Caitlin Bower (Blandon, PA/Fleetwood). 
 
The Colonels (11-19) fell to the Scarlet Raptors (19-8) 3-0 (15-25, 13-25, 24-26) and to the Saxons (10-14) 3-0 (23-25, 14-25, 24-26)
 
The Navy and Gold never had a lead in the first two sets against Rutgers-Camden, and didn't take their first lead of the match until a 5-2 run propelled them to a 19-18 edge on the Scarlet Raptors.  A 4-0 run by Rutgers-Camden and a 5-0 run by the Colonels left Wilkes with  24-22 edge, but the Scarlet Raptors took advantage of a pair of kills and a pair of Colonels errors to seal the three-set sweep.
 
First year setter Jaclyn Rawa (West Chester, PA/Henderson) set a career high with 14 digs in the affair.  Junior opposite hitter Kelsey Carroll (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe) recorded a team-leading 11 kills and two service aces, while first year setter Alexa Cassel (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) had 17 assists for the match.  Erica Nebrich had six aces for the Scarlet Raptors, while Devyn Cobb had six blocks. 
 
The Colonels and Saxons came out swinging in the second match, the latter starting the first set with a 4-0 run before the Navy and Gold responded with a 5-0 comeback.  A 4-1 Alfred run left them with an 11-8 edge.  The Colonels would creep back into a 13 all tie with the Saxons before a 7-2 Alfred run left them in a 20-15 hole.  The Navy and Gold would not be deterred, as a 6-0 run fueled by five kills from Carroll put them in a 23-23 tie, but the Saxons found the next two points first to take a 25-23 set victory.
 
The Saxons found a key 6-1 run early in the second set to put the Navy and Gold behind 11-5, and a few points later sparked a 9-1 run fueled by a trio of service aces to put the Colonels in a 22-10 hole en route to a 25-14 set victory.  The Colonels built up an 11-9 lead in the third set off of a series of kills in a 4-1 run and another 5-1 run would give them a 17-13 edge.  A 4-1 Saxons run and a 5-2 Colonel run would lead the Colonels with a 23-19 advantage, but Alfred swung the momentum, set, and match in their favor with a 7-1 run to seal the deal.
 
Amanda Burns did a bit of everything for the Saxons, posting 25 assists, five blocks, and five aces to lead both squads in all three categories.  Sophomore middle hitter Nicole Fitzpatrick (Newhampton, NY/Minisink Valley) recorded four blocks, while Carroll led all Colonels with 13 kills.
 
After this tri-match, the Wilkes University women's volleyball squad has concluded play for the 2021 season.  The Colonels finished seventh in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom.