NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Despite a handful of late-set rallies, the Norwich University volleyball team dropped a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) affair to Johnson & Wales University in three sets (15-25, 14-25, 18-25) in Andrews Hall on Friday night.

The Wildcats wasted no time setting the tone, embarking on a swift 8-1 run to open up the first set before the Cadets found some momentum on a JWU attack error and a Leah Mathewson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) service ace.  Despite Johnson & Wales pulling away late, Norwich refused to fade, whittling a 22-9 edge down to nine, 24-15, before the Wildcats sealed set one.

The Cadets held strong in the second set, trailing by just four, 12-8, before a 6-0 spurt by the Wildcats spurred Norwich's flow.  Norwich again rallied late, embarking on a 5-1 run to keep the set within single-digits before JWU scooped up three-straight points to quell the fire.

Momentum belonged to Norwich to open the third, as back-to-back kills from Sam Lebruska (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Giovanna Fruci (Wrentham, Mass.), both set up by Gina Caraccio (Churchville, Pa.), granted the Cadets an early 2-0 lead.  A kill from Lillie Ells (Centerville, Mass.) and missteps by the Wildcats kept Norwich afloat with the advantage, but another late-set run by JWU deflated much of the momentum.  A slew of errors by the Wildcats allowed Norwich to reenter the fray late, as the Cadets trailed by five, 23-18, until Johnson & Wales secured victory.

Ells led the team in kills with five, while Lebruska and Fruci added four and three, respectively.  Caraccio handed out 13 assists, while Autumn Parkhurst (Parish, N.Y.) tallied a team-high nine digs.

The Cadets will close out their three-game home-stand with their final home game of the regular season, hosting New England College on Wednesday, Oct. 25.  The 6:00 p.m. tilt also marks Senior Day, as seniors Lebruska and Mathewson will be honored as part of the festivities.