CASTLETON, Vt. -- The MCLA volleyball team earned a pair of wins Saturday afternoon with 3-0 sweeps over Castleton University and Lyndon State.

 

MCLA (4-3) took care of the host Spartans (0-4) in three sets by scores of 25-12, 25-12, and 25-16.

 

Sara LaFreniere paced the offense in the opener with nine kills and eight digs. Mackenna Jordan collected 15 digs while Reagan Scattergood notched 13. Beatrice Lechler had a team best six assists.

 

In the nightcap against the Hornets (0-8), MCLA cruised once again. The Trailblazers took the first set 25-12, and then the second 25-10.  They closed the match out with a 25-17 win in the third set.  

 

Alyssa Keegan had a season best 10 kills to lead the attack. LaFreniere added eight kills and eight digs while Kelsey LaFreniere notched seven kills for MCLA. Scattergood ended with 19 digs in the nightcap for MCLA. Natasha Stewart added a team best six assists.

 

MCLA is back in action on Tuesday night when it opens MASCAC play at home against Framingham State at 6 p.m.

 

Women's Cross Country

CASTLETON, Vt. -- Julie Gambill finished fifth Saturday morning in the 5-kilometer Spartan Invitational hosted by Castleton University.

 

The Trailblazers finished fifth overall in an event won by host Castleton. Kaylyn Crompton of Castleton took the individual crown covering the course in 21 minutes, 14 seconds.

 

Gambill ran the course in 23:31 to tie for fifth alongside Green Mountain's Katelynn Mann.

 

Jenna Berg finished in 24th place for MCLA with a time of 30:18 in her first collegiate meet.

 

Also competing for MCLA was Breanna Castor, Kaitlin Gevry, and Hunter Schrade.

 

Men's Soccer

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The visiting Western Connecticut State men's soccer team received a goal and two assists from Robert Della Penna in helping the Colonails defeat host MCLA 4-2 to claim the Trailblazer Fall Soccer Classic title.

 

In the opening half of play, West Conn's Afa Reyes tallied unassisted in the 27th minute for an early 1-0 lead. The hosts responded almost immediately when Garrett Derosia tied things up just two minutes later. His goal was the first of the season knotting things up.

 

In the second half, the Colonials (3-1) turned up the pressure. They took the lead for keeps in the 53rd minute when Spencer Ranno headed home a corner kick from Robert Della Penna. The goal was Ranno's first of the season.

 

Della Penna continued his solid play in the 59th minute, this time he converted a Reyes pass to increase the lead to 3-1. The visitors added another in the 67th minute when Max Cano headed home another Della Penna pass to make it 4-1.

 

Derosia tallied his second goal of the afternoon in the 81st minute when Matt Duffy sent a long pass towards the right far post. Derosia headed it home to close the gap to 4-2. MCLA (0-3-1) finally had some momentum, but it couldn't get any closer.

 

Sean Bradshaw collected five saves for MCLA.