CASTLETON, Vt. - The Norwich University volleyball team dropped a close three-set affair (22-25, 20-25, 16-25) at Vermont State University Castleton in non-conference action at Glenbrook Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.

The Cadets fought back-and-forth with the Spartans in the opening set, rallying from a handful of deficits to either tie or take the lead over Castleton.  Norwich's final tie would come at 17-all, after a kill from Abby Kanaga (Apopka, Fla.) and a service ace from Lillie Ells (Centerville, Mass.) allowed the Cadets to overcome a two-point hole.  A pair of runs from Castleton, despite valiant comeback bids by Norwich, would give the Spartans the win in the opening set.

The second set would follow a similar suit, as Castleton would secure a 17-12 lead halfway through.  Their optimism would be short-lived, however, as Norwich mounted a 4-0 run to force the Spartans to call timeout.  The Cadets would stay within reach, but ultimately could not overcome Castleton's lead.

The third set saw the same outcome, with the Spartans taking an 18-11 lead before another 4-0 spurt, which included a pair of kills from Kanaga and a service ace from Ells, brought Norwich back within striking distance.  The Spartans would subsequently seal the deal behind a 7-1 run.

Kanaga led the team in kills, drilling in 10 to go with three block assists.  Ava Nihill (Marshfield, Mass.) dished out a team-high 23 assists, while three Cadets tallied double-digit digs between Autumn Parkhurst (Parish, N.Y.), Ells, and Giovanna Fruci (Wrentham, Mass.).

Norwich will now return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, traveling to Albertus Magnus College on Saturday, Oct. 14 for a conference tri-match.  The Cadets will first battle Simmons University at 1:00 p.m. in New Haven, before taking on the host Falcons at 3:00 p.m.