Brunswick, Maine - The visiting Trinity College Bantams suffered a 3-1 defeat against the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Volleyball Semifinals this afternoon at Morrell Gymnasium.  Trinity, seeded No. 4 in the tourney field and playing in its first NESCAC Semifinal since 2005, closes the year with a 19-9 mark.  Bowdoin will play for its first-ever NESCAC Championship on Sunday, as the set scores were, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17, 26-24.

The teams traded the opening two sets before Bowdoin pulled away in the third to carry a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth stanza. A see-saw set ensued, with the teams trading the lead before settling in a 24-24 tie.  Bowdoin notched the final two points in the fourth to secure the 26-24 decision and the 3-1 victory.

Trinity sophomore OH Hannah Brickley (Melrose, Mass.) had 12 kills and 12 digs for the Bantams. Senior MH Kelly O'Brien (Pelham, N.Y.) and junior OH Danielle Isaman (West Hartford, Conn.) supported her with seven kills each in the loss.  Senior L Sarah Blagden (Charleston, S.C.) led the Trinity defense with 21 digs while senior co-captain S Jennifer Low (San Francisco, Calif.)dished out 29 assists.

Kristin Hanczor totaled 13 kills and six blocks in the middle for the Polar Bears. Melissa Haskell delivered several key points down the stretch and finished with 12 kills and 15 digs. Setter Sophia Cornew delivered 40 assists to go with 13 digs and six kills while Taylor Vail pitched in a team-high 19 digs.

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