SALEM, Mass. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team dropped a non-conference road match to Salem State University on Tuesday evening at the Richard O'Keefe Center, falling in straight sets by scores of 25-19, 26-24, and 25-17.
Vanessa Whitmill (Fremont, Calif.) led the Cadets offensively with a team-high eight kills while adding 10 digs, two assists, and a solo block.  Aylei Connolly (Westfield, Mass.) chipped in six kills, while Grace Davie (Lynnfield, Mass.) recorded five kills, two service aces, and four digs.
Ainslee Vargas (Rusk, Texas) directed the Norwich attack with 24 assists and four digs, while Kelsey Slane (West Sand Lake, N.Y.) anchored the defense with a match-high 14 digs and added two assists.  Isabella Vasapolli (Pepperell, Mass.) contributed four kills and was involved in two blocks, while Elexis Powell (Charlotte Hall, Md.) added four kills and a block assist.
Norwich finished the contest with 31 kills, 30 assists, two service aces, 36 digs, and three total blocks. Salem State countered with 38 kills, 35 assists, 10 service aces, and 43 digs in the victory.
The opening set saw Salem State gradually build separation after an early back-and-forth exchange. Kills from Whitmill, Brook Wolcott (Easthampton, Mass.), Connolly, and Taylor "Rae" Lawing (Allen, Texas) helped keep the Cadets within striking distance. Norwich continued to battle late in the frame. With Salem State sitting on set point at 24-17, consecutive Viking attack errors pulled the Cadets within five before the hosts secured the next point to claim the opener, 25-19.
Norwich responded with its strongest showing in the second set. Trailing 8-7, the Cadets rattled off six consecutive points, beginning with a Davie kill. Davie then delivered back-to-back service aces around a Connolly finish, while a pair of Salem State attack errors helped Norwich surge ahead, 13-8.
The Cadets later stretched the advantage to 18-14 behind kills from Powell, Davie, and Whitmill, but the Vikings answered with four straight points to pull even at 18-18. From there, the teams traded momentum through a tightly contested finish. Norwich fought off set point when Powell delivered a kill to draw even at 24-24, but Salem State scored the final two points to escape with a 26-24 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, Salem State jumped out to a 5-0 advantage behind an early service run and maintained control throughout much of the frame.
The Cadets continued to push back, receiving kills from Vasapolli, Davie, Connolly, Powell, and Whitmill. Norwich mounted its strongest late response with Salem State ahead, 21-13, scoring four of the next five points behind kills from Davie and Whitmill and a Viking attack error to pull within 22-17. Salem State answered by scoring the final three points, however, closing the set at 25-17 to secure the sweep.
The Cadets return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday, Oct. 10, traveling to Chicopee, Mass., for a 12:00 p.m. matchup at Elms College.
Norwich will remain on the road for its following contest, traveling to New London, N.H., to face Colby-Sawyer College on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
