WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College volleyball squad defeated host University of Hartford, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-22), in a non-conference clash at Chase Arena Tuesday night. The Bantams improved to 4-1 on the season, while the Hawks dropped to 1-4 overall.

After back-and-forth play opened the first set, Trinity seized control with an 8-0 run, paced by a pair of kills from senior Margaret McCarthy (San Diego, Calif.) and sophomore Ellie Gordon (The Villages, Fla.) to take a 15-7 lead. Junior Ava Boloyan (American Canyon, Calif.) and junior Bella Caffuzzi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added kills down the stretch to secure the 25-19 win.

The Bantams jumped to an early 5-3 lead in the second set behind a trio of kills from junior Eva Lekovic (San Marino, Calif.). Lekovic continued her offensive onslaught, sandwiching a pair of kills around an ace from sophomore Caroline Howell (Houston, Texas) to push Trinity ahead 13-8. McCarthy delivered two more kills and Boloyan served up a pair of aces to extend the Bantams lead to 20-10. Caffuzzi netted two more kills and a block down the stretch to the 25-16 victory.

Play was tight to kick off a dramatic final set as the squads exchanged the lead, and Gordon tallied three kills to pull the Bantams within a point, 10-9. Following a four-point spurt by the Hawks, Trinity answered with their own four-point rally to remain close at 14-13. Trailing 18-15, the Bantams rattled off a 5-0 run, led by three kills from senior Lola Craig (Los Angeles, Calif.), to grab a 20-18 lead. Hartford mounted one final surge with a 4-1 run to pull ahead 22-21. After an error and a kill from McCarthy put Trinity back on top, 23-22, Gordon made a crucial dig to keep the ball alive on a potential game-tying point, and then McCarthy slammed a pair of kills to lock up the 25-22 win.

"I loved the third set because it was a real battle," said Bantams head coach Jen Bowman. "I knew [the team] had it in them, but we weren't executing very well. We need to be able to fight through that kind of adversity, and I'm pleased that we did. It was a total team effort."

The Bantams had five players record five or more kills, paced by team-high eight kills from Caffuzzi and McCarthy. Gordon and Lekovic notched seven kills each, and Boloyan added five kills in the win. Howell and junior Grace Sullivan (Fort Worth, Texas) dished out a team-high 14 assists a piece, while Craig snared a match-high 12 digs in the win.

The Hawks attack was propelled by a match-high 18 kills and a team-high nine digs from Zahara Quraishi (West Hartford, Conn.). Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.) chipped in 10 kills, while Liahna Orange (Linden, N.J.) recorded a match-high 18 assists.

The Bantams will return to the court when they host the United State Coast Guard Academy Thursday night at 6:00 p.m.