CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team could not keep their first-set momentum aflame on Tuesday evening, falling to Elms College in four frames (25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 14-25) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash.

The Cadets were virtually unstoppable in the opening stanza, rolling out to a swift 12-2 lead behind a slew of Blazer errors and a trio of kills from Lillie Ells (Centerville, Mass.) off Ava Nihill (Marshfield, Mass.) helpers.  Elms did not go quietly, surging back to whittle the lead down to three on a handful of occasions, but back-to-back kills from Nihill and Abby Kanaga (Apopka, Fla.) gave Norwich the edge heading into the second set.

Roles reversed in the subsequent set, with Elms this time rushing out to an early advantage before the Cadets rallied from a seven-point deficit to bring it to 22-19.  The Blazers captured the second, however, carrying momentum over into a third set that saw both teams exchange points frequently.  At a 19-all deadlock, the Blazers broke through, ending the third on a 6-2 run.

Elms sealed the deal in the fourth frame despite an early 10-8 lead by the Cadets, handing Norwich the loss.

Bella Belldina Ray (Martinsburg, W.Va.) paced the Cadets in kills with 10, while she and Giovanna Fruci (Wrentham, Mass.) logged two blocks a piece.  Nihill racked up 25 helpers, Autumn Parkhurst (Parish, N.Y.) owned 14 digs, and Katie Finn (Peru, N.Y.) tied the game-high in aces with four.

The Cadets will close the season on Saturday, Nov. 9, traveling to Anna Maria College for a GNAC tri-match.  Norwich will battle the host AMCATS at 11:00 a.m. in Paxton, Mass., before taking on Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the 1:00 p.m. matinee.