BY COLE MCNANNA // SEPT. 22 2016 //

The women’s volleyball team slipped under .500 with a 3-0 loss to Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Gordon College last night.

The result brought the Fighting Scots to an even 6-6 overall and an early 1-0 in the conference as the Colonels dropped to 4-5 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

From even before the beginning of the game, Curry had to continue without sophomore Grace Stafford, who was forced to sit due to concussion symptoms.  The outside hitter currently leads the team in kills (68), and points recorded (83.5) while adding a team second-best 14 aces, and third-best 52 digs.

The first set started out more competitive than it finished, with the Colonels achieving an early 6-4 lead. However, Gordon responded with a 9-2 run to take a 13-8 lead which would be evident of more to come. The Fighting Scots doubled Curry over the final stretch and finished the first set 25-14.

The second set was one of streaks, with points being awarded in ones only six times throughout the set. Gordon’s stretch of three was responded with a five-point run, only to be evened out with pairs of consecutive points going to both teams. The Fighting Scots pushed to a 23-16 score and had a 2-0 lead in their sights.

With freshman Shea Mathews (one of the younger players rotating in to fill Stafford’s hole) serving, she helped deliver a six point streak to force a Gordon timeout after the score was made 23-22. However, the Scots were able to bear down and grab the final two points to take that 2-0 lead into the third set.

The final set was much like the first, with the Colonels jumping out to an early 4-2 lead, only to inflate it to 10-7. Multiple strings of consecutive points fell for Gordon over the rest of the set and they finished on an 18-4 run to complete the sweep.

Senior Alyssa Keeney finished the night with six total kills, tying a second-best in the game. Classmate Makayla Hughes delivered a team-high 11 assists and junior Courtney Carroll racked up a game second-best 15 digs.

After the game, Keeney noted that the defensive front of the Fighting Scots was strong as “they picked up most of our kills.” She went on to note that moving forward, “We’ve got to control our balls, control what we can control, and hope our offensive line stays strong.”

Coach Elizabeth Morris noted the weakness her lineup experienced without Stafford, but added “I had some freshmen who really stepped up… [They] did a great job so I’m looking forward to seeing more from them.”

She will have two opportunities to see more of those freshmen Saturday as Curry will host a tournament with games at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Before then, however, Morris added that “Defense, transitioning to the hit and covering our hitters,” will be the focus to prepare.

Killer Keeney: With Stafford’s injury, Keeney also stepped up on the offensive side of the ball and led the team in points recorded, with nine. She sits in fourth on the team with 37 total points so far.

Freshman Frenzy: As of now, freshmen have accounted for 66.5 points between Caroline Kilduff (30.5), Erika Costa (27) and Shea Mathews (9). That number will likely increase over the next handful of games.

Tournament Time: The Colonels will host Suffolk University at 11 a.m. and Pine Manor College at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 24 for a non-conference, three-match set with all teams playing each other.