CASTLETON, Vt. – Freshman Monika Schneider (Brookline, N.H.) posted a team-best 12 kills on Wednesday, elevating the Norwich University women's volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over host Castleton University. Norwich improves to 6-14 overall while Castleton drops to 9-2 on the year. 

The Cadets improve to 16-0 all-time against the Spartans with the five-set victory. Norwich dropped the first set 25-19, but rallied to take the next two stanzas by 25-22 and 25-19 scores. Castleton rebounded to take the fourth set, 25-22, but the Cadets were able to earn a 15-12 result in the fifth and final set. 

Schneider and classmate Michele Zummo (Highland Mills, N.Y.) each set career-high marks in kills and total attacks, the former registering 12 kills on 29 total attacks with the latter notching 11 kills on 36 swings. Zummo also posted a double-double on the evening, pairing her 11 kills with 10 digs, while Schneider also led her team with six service aces. 

Sophomore Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) dished out a team-leading 25 assists, earning a double-double with 10 digs, while junior Katie Crane (Avon, N.Y.) set up 13 kills. Oliver also contributed from the serve line, tallying five errorless serves, while notching seven kills for the Cadets. 

Freshman Brianna Dawson (Katonah, N.Y.) racked up a career-high 18 digs in the winning effort. 

After losing the first set, Norwich rebounded to take a 23-15 lead in the second set. Castleton attempted a comeback, scoring five-straight points, but back-to-back kills from Oliver and Zummo sandwiched two-straight Spartans kills to knot the set at one apiece. 

Norwich overwhelmed the hosts in the third set, hammering home 10 kills while committing only one attacking error for an outstanding .333 hitting percentage. With the score tied at 14, a Castleton service error preceded a kill from freshman Courtney Nau (Sunrise, Fla.), a service ace by Oliver, and a kill from sophomore Courtney Quinn (Taunton, Mass.). 

After Castleton knotted the match at two with a 25-22 fourth set win, Norwich fell behind by a 1-0 margin in the fifth set. The Cadets, however, made a statement with six-straight points that came off two kills and four service aces. Castleton would cut its deficit down to one point, but Norwich would win the match on a service ace by freshman Marissa Perrotti (Moultonborough, N.H.) on match point. 

Cassidy Tedeschi led Castleton with 20 kills, but committed 11 errors on 50 total attacks. Alex Madsen set up 46 of her team's 57 kills while Kimberly Jackson reached 20 digs on the evening. Jessica Grace and J'Leen Diaz posted 19 and 16 digs, respectively, with the latter also notching 17 kills. 

Norwich concludes its 10th season of women's volleyball this Friday, Oct. 28, taking on Anna Maria and the host Mustangs of Mount Ida College beginning at 6 p.m.