HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College volleyball team came up just short against visiting Coast Guard Academy in a thrilling five set battle, 3-2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 27-25, 7-15) at Oosting Gymnasium Thursday evening. The Bantams drop to 4-2 on the season, while the Bears improve to 9-1 overall.

The squads traded the lead over the opening points over the first set until a kill from Coast Guard senior Sophia Galdamez (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) handed the Bears a 6-5 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Four more kills from Galdamez helped extend the Coast Guard lead to 13-6. Trailing 18-10, the Bantams mounted a rally behind three blocks and a kill from junior Ava Boloyan (American Canyon, Calif.), to close the gap to 21-18. The Bears held off the Bantams with two more kills from Galdamez to secure the 25-21 win in the first set.

Trinity sophomore Caroline Howell (Houston, Texas) notched a pair of kills to even the second set at 3-3. The opening points featured five ties and three lead changes until a kill from Galmadez and a block from sophomore Allie Wildsmith (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) help push the Bears ahead 12-7. Trinity kept close and a kill from senior Lola Craig (Los Angeles, Calif.) trim the deficit to 17-14. A block and a kill from Boloyan kept the Bantams withing three, 20-17, but Coast Guard outscored Trinity, 5-1, down the stretch to lock up the 25-18 win.

Trinity junior Eva Lekovic (San Marino, Calif.) delivered two kills and a tandem block from junior Bella Caffuzzi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore Ellie Gordon (The Villages, Fla.) gave the Bantams an early 5-4 lead. Caffuzzi wrapped two kills around a solo block, and then kills from Craig, Lekovic and senior Margaret McCarthy (San Diego, Calif.) escorted the Bantams advantage to 14-7. The Bantams offensive surge continued with additional kills from McCarthy, Boloyan, Caffuzzi, and Gordon to extend the lead to 19-13. Galmadez tried to keep the Bears alive, but McCarthy closed the door with a kill and an ace to finish off the 25-18.

The Bears grabbing an early 3-1 lead in the fourth set following a kill from sophomore Sarah Somer (Cary, N.C.). A kill from Coast Guard Elizabeth Atkinson gave the Bears a 6-5 lead, and the Coast Guard seemed to pull away with a 9-2 run, fueled by four kills from Galmadez, extending the lead to 15-7. A spurt of Bears errors kept the Bantams alive, but a 4-1 run from Coast Guard kept the gap at 20-15. Trailing 23-19, Trinity rallied with five straight points, bookended by kills from McCarthy to regain a 24-23 advantage. Galmadez evened things at 24-24 with a kill, but errors helped the Bantams to a 26-25 lead, and then Craig delivered the set-sealing kill to force a fifth set.

Coast Guard raced to an early 7-1 lead in the final frame, behind kills from Galmadez and Wildsmith. Lekovic responded with two kills for Trinity, and then a service ace from junior Grace Sullivan (Fort Worth, Texas) closed the gap to 9-7. The Bears won the set with five straight points to claim the 3-2 victory.

Lekovic slammed a team-high 13 kills with three digs and two assists, while McCarthy added 10 kills and four digs. Howell notched a double-double with a team-high 18 assists and 10 digs, while Sullivan dished out a team-high 18 assists with five digs.

Galmadez led all attackers with a match-high 25 kills. Wildsmith and junior Shannon Shaw (Torrance, Calif.) recorded nine kills each, and senior Maeve Duffin (Hawthorne, N.J.) registered an impressive double-double with a match-high 36 assists and a match-high 21 digs.

The Bantams will look to return to the win column when they travel to Tufts University for their New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opener Saturday at 2:00 p.m.