WORCESTER -- The Coast Guard Academy volleyball team secured a straight-set victory over WPI, 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, and 25-17), in a NEWMAC match at Harrington Auditorium on Saturday afternoon. The Bears improved to 12-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while the Engineers fell to 5-9 and 0-4 in the NEWMAC.
 
Coast Guard was led by a powerful offensive duo of Amelia Matson (Stafford, VA) and Shannon Shaw (Torrance, CA), who recorded 17 and 15 kills respectively. Matson hit .361 on 36 attempts, while Shaw hit .351 on 37 attempts. Sophia Rosenburg (Lebanon, PA) orchestrated the offense with a match-high 47 assists, adding nine digs and five total blocks. Defensively, Julia Gallinger (Garrison, NY) anchored the back row with a match-high 25 digs.
 
For WPI, Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) paced the Engineers with seven kills, hitting an impressive .467, and contributed two aces and three blocks. Emily Hudson (Melrose, MA) added seven kills with a .294 hitting percentage, along with a pair of blocks. Fiona Gillis (Manchester, NH) chipped in eight kills and three digs, while Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) dished out 15 assists, collected seven digs, and had three blocks. Rounding out the WPI leaders,  Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) recorded 15 digs, while Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) contributed 10 assists and nine digs.
 
In a tightly contested first set, both teams exchanged leads with neither side gaining a significant advantage. WPI held a late 23-20 lead after a kill by Audrey Stroupe (Leesburg, VA), but Coast Guard rallied with kills from Shaw and Matson to tie the set at 24-24. A kill by Matson and an error by WPI gave the Bears a 26-25 lead, and Matson sealed the set with another kill, giving Coast Guard a 27-25 victory.
 
Coast Guard carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead. WPI battled back to tie the set at 9-9 after a kill by VanDamme. However, the Bears responded with a series of kills from Matson and Somer, pulling ahead to a 20-17 advantage. Coast Guard closed out the set on a service ace by Sarah Somer (Cary, NC), taking it 25-19.
 
In the third set, the Bears continued their strong play, with Matson and Ventimiglia leading the offense. Coast Guard built an early lead and maintained it throughout the set. WPI attempted to rally with kills from VanDamme and Hudson, but the Bears' offense was too strong, finishing the match with a 25-17 win after a Ventimiglia kill.
 
WPI continues NEWMAC play at Salve Regina on Friday, October 11th at 7:00 PM. Coast Guard will return to action on Tuesday, October 8th, when they travel to Wellesley.