Mustangs Beaten by Bengals for First Loss

Fort Kent, ME – CMCC Volleyball suffered its first loss of the season, falling in straight sets to USCAA DI opponent UMaine Fort Kent. The Mustangs hung with the Bengals for the first two sets, losing 25-19 and 25-21, before the hosts put the match away in the third with a comfortable 25-12 victory. Natalie Roy and Errow Hinckley had eight and seven kills respectively to lead the team while Keliah Stith posted a team-high ten digs.

Leading 10-8 in the first set, UMFK took four straight points to open up some daylight. The visitors put together a run of their own, winning five of the next six points to pull within 15-13 and forcing UMaine Fort Kent to call a timeout. The Mustangs finally caught up, after a scoring review moved the points to 19-19, only to see the Bengals rattle off six straight points to take the first set.

The second set played out very similarly. UMFK led CMCC 10-9 through the early stages, then took eight of the next ten with some strong serves from Kimberly Lucas, getting the Mustangs to spend a timeout down 18-11. It took until a ten-point gap, at 22-11, before Central Maine started to rally. With Isabella Higgins serving, the attack finally began finding openings thanks to kills from Roy, Hinckley, and Autumn Peterson. Eight straight points cut the deficit to 22-19 before a service error gave control back to the Bengals. They held on from there for a 25-21 win.

It seemed like the tide was turning though for CMCC. They carried over their momentum to start the third set strong, leading 8-3. Fort Kent spent a timeout to calm things down and the reset paid immediate dividends. The Bengals took an astounding 17 straight points with libero Oliwia Szatkowska at the service line, suddenly holding a massive 20-8 lead. The match was soon over after that.

Service aces were a big difference in the game with Szatkowska, Lucas, and McCafferty combining for 19 of their team's 20 aces compared to just four for the Mustangs. Next up for Central Maine is a return to conference play at YSCC crossover weekend hosted at NHTI. CMCC will take on Word of Life Bible Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Vermont State University-Randolph on Saturday and Sunday.