CASTLETON, Vt. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the Vermont Volleyball Classic on Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gymnasium, falling to host Vermont State University Castleton, 3-0, before rebounding with a 3-1 victory over Vermont State University Lyndon for the Cadets' first win of the 2026 season.
Norwich dropped the opener to the Spartans by scores of 25-14, 25-7, and 25-10 before responding later in the afternoon with a 25-13, 25-13, 27-29, 25-15 triumph over the Hornets.
VTSU Castleton 3, Norwich 0
Castleton started the match by taking the first two points of the opening set before a kill from Vanessa Whitmill (Fremont, Calif.), set up by Ainslee Vargas (Rusk, Texas), got the Cadets on the board.
The teams traded points throughout the early portion of the frame, with kills from Taylor "Rae" Lawing (Allen, Texas) and Aylei Connolly (Westfield, Mass.) helping Norwich remain within striking distance. The Cadets later pulled even at 9-9 following back-to-back Castleton errors and a service ace from Vargas.
The Spartans regained control from there, building a 14-9 advantage before Norwich briefly answered with consecutive points. Castleton then used another surge to extend the lead to 19-11, and although Whitmill and Isabella Vasapolli (Pepperell, Mass.) helped the Cadets add points late, the Spartans closed out the opening set, 25-14.
Castleton gained an early advantage in the second set by starting on an 8-0 run before a kill from Vasapolli got Norwich on the board. The Spartans continued to control the frame with another extended run, but the Cadets broke through again behind kills from Elexis Powell (Charlotte Hall, Md.) and Whitmill.
Norwich continued to battle throughout the remainder of the set before Castleton secured a 25-7 victory and a two-set advantage.
The Spartans again came out quickly in the third, taking a 5-0 lead before a kill from Powell stopped the opening run. Whitmill and Connolly also found the floor as Norwich looked to cut into the deficit, with Powell adding another kill later in the frame.
Castleton, however, maintained control down the stretch and closed the match with a 25-10 victory in the third set.
Connolly and Powell led the Norwich attack with four kills apiece, while Whitmill added three. Vargas dished out a team-high nine assists and recorded the Cadets' lone service ace.
Slane paced Norwich defensively with 10 digs, while Connolly added nine, Vargas and Whitmill each recorded six, and Whitmill supplied the Cadets' lone solo block.
Norwich 3, VTSU Lyndon 1
Norwich bounced back in emphatic fashion later in the afternoon, earning its first victory of the 2026 campaign with a four-set win over VTSU Lyndon.
Vasapolli paced the Norwich attack with a match-high 10 kills on 17 attempts for a .412 hitting percentage. Powell added nine kills while hitting a team-best .471, and Lawing contributed seven kills on a .353 clip.
Connolly recorded eight kills and a team-high nine digs while sharing the team lead with four service aces. Vargas directed the Cadet offense with 25 assists, six digs, and two aces, while Slane supplied six digs and four aces. Whitmill added four kills, six digs, and three aces.
Norwich seized control midway through the opening set after the teams traded points early. With the score tied at 5-5, Whitmill stepped to the service line and sparked an eight-point run that featured three aces, three Vasapolli kills, and a Vargas kill, pushing Norwich ahead, 13-5.
The Hornets pulled within five at 16-11, but the Cadets responded with kills from Lawing, Connolly, Powell, and Whitmill to close the frame on a 9-2 run. Norwich hit .286 in the set and limited Lyndon to a .000 hitting percentage en route to a 25-13 victory.
Lyndon opened the second set with a 5-2 advantage before Norwich found its rhythm. Trailing 9-5, the Cadets rattled off 13 consecutive points behind Vasapolli's serving, receiving two aces from Vasapolli and kills from Lawing, Powell, and Connolly during the decisive surge.
Norwich continued to pull away behind additional kills from Connolly and Powell and aces from Vargas and Connolly. The Cadets held Lyndon to a negative hitting percentage in the frame and secured another 25-13 win to take a commanding two-set lead.
The Hornets answered with their strongest performance of the match in the third set. Norwich built an early 11-5 advantage behind two Lawing kills, two Vasapolli kills, and a pair of Whitmill finishes, then remained in front, 21-16, following a Vargas kill.
Lyndon responded with a 9-3 run to reach set point at 25-24. The Cadets fought off multiple set points, receiving kills from Whitmill and Lawing to stay alive, but the Hornets eventually claimed the extended frame, 29-27. Lyndon hit .440 with 12 kills in the set, while Norwich registered 12 kills on a .200 hitting percentage.
Norwich quickly regained control in the fourth set. Vasapolli delivered two early kills, while Lawing and Slane added service aces to help the Cadets establish a 9-5 advantage.
With Norwich holding a 10-8 lead, the Cadets used a 7-2 run featuring two Powell kills and a Vargas finish to stretch the margin to 17-10. Lyndon eventually pulled within four at 19-15, but Norwich answered by scoring the final six points of the match.
An attack error put the Cadets ahead, 20-15, before Slane took over from the service line for the final five points. Slane registered three aces during the closing run, while Vasapolli supplied two kills to help seal the 25-15 set victory and Norwich's first win of the season.
Norwich finished with a 42-21 advantage in kills and hit .254 for the match compared with Lyndon's .085. The Cadets also held a 17-13 edge in service aces, while the Hornets finished with a 47-38 advantage in digs. Norwich's attack was particularly effective in transition, producing 31 kills while hitting .321 in those opportunities.
The Cadets will return to Glenbrook Gymnasium on Sunday, Sept. 6, to close out the Vermont Volleyball Classic against Vermont State University Johnson at 1:00 p.m.
