Philadelphia, Pa. - (9/1/2018) – Chestnut Hill College took on both American International College (AIC) and Mercy College in today's tri-match event, kicking off their 2018 season with a 1-1 split. The Griffins struggled to find their rhythm in the first matchup against AIC, resulting in a 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-13, 25-19) defeat. Despite the early loss, the Scarlet and Gold avenged themselves against Mercy College, finishing them in the first three sets (3-0; 25-11, 25-23, 28-26) thanks to a collaborative 27 kills from sophomore outside hitter Corrine Kalala (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), sophomore middle hitter Ragen Baldwin (Lancaster,Pa.), and junior outside hitter Reily Byxbee (Madison, Conn.).
 
Chestnut Hill College (1-1) started their day taking on AIC (3-4), where they got off to a rocky start that caused them to play catch up later on in the match. The Yellow Jackets went on a 7-0 run in the first set, which was eventually interrupted giving the home team their first point.  The Griffins had trouble finding their groove throughout the set, resulting in a 25-18 final. In the second set, the Scarlet and Gold found their footing and ensued in a back-and-forth battle until the very end. Crucial kills from junior middle hitter Cassie Callahan (St. Louis, Mo.) (24-21) and senior setter Kennedy Sutton (Chesapeake, Va.) (25-24) motivated Chestnut Hill College enough to finish out the set 24-26. Unfortunately in the next two sets, the Griffin's momentum was not enough to hold off AIC, losing both sets, 25-13 and 25-19.

In the second contest of the day, Kalala's 11 kills matched with eight kills each from Byxbee and Baldwin, made for a three set defeat of Mercy College (2-4).  The Mavericks found it difficult to maintain Chestnut Hill College's tempo, which delivered a quick 25-11 final in the first set. Sophomore defensive specialist Adriana Lopez-Soto (Gurabo, Puerto Rico) went on a five-serve stretch that put Mercy College ahead of the Griffins, 23-22, but kills rom Callahan and Kalala gave the Scarlet and Gold the 24-23 edge they needed, before ultimately ending the second set 25-23. In the final period, Mercy College did not go down without a fight, but Chestnut Hill College proved superior as both teams exchanged points until a skilled kill by Sutton gave the Griffins a 27-26 lead. A block assist from Baldwin and sophomore Mykayla Milchling (Baltimore, Md.) finally put the game to rest, 28-26.
 
Senior outside hitter Diva Rivas-Reyes (Tuscan, Ariz.) headlined American International College logging 15 kills, one assist, and eight digs while sophomore outside hitter Andrea Serra (Toa Alta, P.R.) and junior outside hitter Jana Potic (Belgrade, Serbia) were not far behind with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.  Senior setter Dolores Kopren (Novi Sad, Serbia) posted 40 assists and 17 digs.

As for Mercy College, sophomore outside hitter Leilani Vazquez (Gurabo, Puerto Rico) led with nine kills and 15 digs. Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Partridge finished with seven kills and freshman setter Sophia Flanders (Hamden, Conn.) totaled 25 assists.

Kalala and Byxbee each recorded nine kills against the Yellow Jackets, thanks to 29 assists from Sutton. Junior libero Janie Green (Hayes, Va.) and Callahan both reached double digit digs with 14 and 10, respectively. In the latter match, Kalala scored 11 kills, while Baldwin (.353, 8K-2E-17TA) and Byxbee (.318, 8K-1E-22TA) each scored eight kills on plus-.300 hitting. Sutton totaled 32 assists at the point. Green (4 aces, 15 digs) and junior libero Kara Turtzer (La Habra Heights, Calif.) (3, 14) combined for seven of Chestnut Hill College's nine aces, and were two of four Griffins to record double digit digs. Kalala led the quartet with 19 digs.

Chestnut Hill College competes next on Tuesday, September 4, when they visit Bloomsburg University for a 7:00 p.m. contest.