NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University volleyball team endured a 3-0 setback (16-25, 9-25, 21-25) to New England College on Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) affair in Andrews Hall.

Prior to gametime, the Cadets honored Sam Lebruska (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Leah Mathewson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) as part of Senior Day, recognizing the pair for their efforts throughout their collegiate careers.

The Cadets hung close to the Pilgrims early in the first set, despite a slew of runs by NEC.  A 3-0 spurt brought Norwich to within one, 8-7, before the Pilgrims embarked on a 10-2 run to take control of the opening set.  Norwich refused to go away quietly, as a bad NEC set and a collection of kills from Abby Kanaga (Apopka, Fla.) and Lillie Ells (Centerville, Mass.) brought the Cadets back within striking distance in the waning moments, before NEC's Jamie Hansen sealed the deal.

Norwich experienced its best success in the third set, fighting back from a quick 2-0 Pilgrim run to take a 5-4 lead.  Despite NEC subsequently reclaiming the advantage, the Cadets again remained a thorn in NEC's side, trimming the Pilgrims' lead down several times.  A Gina Caraccio (Churchville, Pa.) service ace brought Norwich to within two, 23-21, but back-to-back points handed the Pilgrims victory.

Ells and Kanaga led the team in kills with seven and six, respectively, while Caraccio handed out 15 assists.  Autumn Parkhurst (Parish, N.Y.) and Lebruska tallied 13 and 11 digs, respectively.

The Cadets will hit the road for a weekend tri-match at GNAC foe Regis College, taking on the Pride at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, before battling Framingham State University in a non-conference tilt at 1:00 p.m.