WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's volleyball team closed their season at the Marts Center on Saturday with Senior Day, falling to both Catholic University and Messiah University.

The Colonels close the season with a 5-21 record, with a 1-8 record in Landmark Conference play.

Game 1 – Wilkes 1, Catholic 3
The Colonels lost the first game of the day against their final Landmark opponent in Catholic University 25-15, 24-26, 25-23, 25-14.

After dropping the first set, the Colonels responded with an extra-point win in the second set. With the score 15-12 in favor of Wilkes, the Cardinals went on a six-point run to take an 18-15 lead. A few points later with the score 22-19 Catholic, Wilkes tied the set with a three-point run with kills from Alexa Cassel (Mount Joy, PA/Lower Dauphin) and Kendra Kalp (Somerset, PA/Rockwood). After trading the lead back and forth, Wilkes scored three straight points to take a 24-23 Catholic and turn it into a set win. The Cardinals had 51 total kills to 38 for the Colonels, also winning the point battle 71 to 54.

Kalp and Sierra Hines (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) led the Colonel offense with nine kills and two aces each, while Hines and Ava Wahlers (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) also had five blocks. Alexa Cassel (Mount Joy, PA/Lower Dauphin) was the main distributor with 25 assists and led the defensive effort with 11 digs. Rachael Anderson (Canmore, AB/West Island College) and Annalyse Santowasso (Middlesex, NJ/Rutgers Prep) also reached double-digit digs with 10 each.

Game 2 – Wilkes 1, Messiah 3
Wilkes closed the season with a loss against the Messiah University Falcons in four sets 23-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14.

The Colonels erased an early 5-1 deficit to take a 12-8 lead in the first set, but the Falcons kept the set close throughout. With the score 22-21 Messiah, Wilkes went on a 4-1 run to win the set, finished off with a Jenna Baron (Nanticoke, PA/Greater Nanticoke Area) kill. The Falcons took control of the game in the second set and beyond with 59 kills to Wilkes 31, 14 aces to three for the Colonels, and 69 digs to 51 for the home team.

Hines and Baron were at the top of the Wilkes scoresheet with eight kills each, while Baron eclipsed the 100-block mark with two in this contest. Cassel once again led the team in assists and digs with 18 and 17 respectively.

Prior to the day's first contest, the Colonels celebrated the careers of Hines, Alexis Reedy (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra Area), Cassel, and Baron as a part of the Senior Day festivities.