Women’s Volleyball Set Down By D’Youville, 3-0

AURORA, N.Y. – Despite a program-record .304 hitting percentage by freshman Meredith Kadjeski (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), the Wells College women's volleyball team posted a 3-0 defeat to the Spartans of D'Youville College Friday evening at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing. With the loss, the Express fall to 0-1 on the young season while the Spartans (1-0) snap a 13-match losing streak dating back to the previous season.

Kadjeski, who recorded 11 kills alongside only four errors in 23 total attempts, posted a .304 hitting percentage, edging the previous team record of .292 set by teammate Zakarra Butts (Cortland, N.Y.) on Oct. 6, 2012 against Cazenovia. Butts ranked second on the team with four kills to her credit, while sophomore Gina Cairns (Delhi, N.Y.), setter Taryn Heath (Truxton, N.Y.) and freshman Stephanie Parker (Dryden, N.Y.) each posted two kills.

Heath set up 15 Express kills while libero Nicole Loeven (Pawling, N.Y.) contributed defensively with 10 digs to her credit. Alongside her historic hitting percentage, Kadjeski also tied with Butts after posting three service aces.

The closest set for the Express was the middle stanza as Wells trailed by only one point, 21-20, toward the end of the second set. Back-to-back kills by Kadjeski brought the Express to within striking distance but two attacking errors preceded a kill by Emily Milbrand, who recorded her team's 25th point off of a feed from Natalie Rieman.

Wells nearly forced a fourth set after trailing by a 22-11 margin in the third set. The Express utilized several errors by the Spartans combined with timely kills by Kadjeski and Evelyn Abbott (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) to bring the score to 24-23 before Milbrand iced the game with a kill following a pass from Rieman to stifle any further comeback attempt.

Cumulatively, Milbrand posted seven kills without an error for a team-leading .700 hitting percentage. Alyssa Dueringer set up 19 D'Youville kills while Savannah Brayton posted seven kills and seven digs, defensively. Dueringer and Brayton each had four service aces to their credit.

The Express return to action Saturday, Aug. 31 as they face-off against Johnson State College to open the SUNY Canton Invitational in Canton, N.Y. starting at 11:30 a.m. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).