ASTON, Pa. — The Pratt Institute women's volleyball team opened Atlantic East play and fell in both matches at Saturday's tri-match at The Mirenda Center, dropping the conference opener to Neumann 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-16) before a competitive neutral-site decision to Rutgers-Camden 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21). The results snapped Pratt's two-match win streak.
First-year opposite Maggie Hughes (Knoxville, Tenn.) sparked the black-and-gold in the second match, finishing with a team-high eight kills and two aces. Outside hitter Jamie Shoemake (La Crescenta, Calif.) added seven kills and an ace, and setter Eden Shih (Manhattan, N.Y.) steered the attack with 26 assists and three block assists. Middle hitter Colleen Russell (Asbury, N.J.) chipped in five kills on .625 hitting and a solo block. The Cannoneers totaled 29 kills and eight aces against the Scarlet Raptors.
Pratt traded points early with Rutgers-Camden in the opener, pulling even at 12-12 and taking a 14-13 edge on a Shoemake kill. A service run by Madison Snelgrove helped the Scarlet Raptors create separation late, though Hughes' back-to-back aces kept the set within reach before Camden closed it 25-19.
Set two featured nine ties. Shih and Russell teamed for a block that gave Pratt a 4-2 start, and a Kelsy Padilla (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ace made it 15-13. Rutgers-Camden answered with two straight aces by libero Mia Owens to swing momentum, and after a Gabriella Prieto (Amityville, N.Y.) ace and a Hughes kill pushed Pratt ahead 19-17, Camden finished the frame on a 4-0 spurt to take it 25-21
The Cannoneers trailed 13-2 in the third before mounting a steady comeback behind kills from Hughes and Shoemake, a Shih ace, and a Padilla ace to pull within 22-20. Hughes added another kill to make it 24-21, but Rutgers-Camden closed out the match.
In the Atlantic East opener against Neumann, Padilla led Pratt with four kills and two aces, while Shoemake added four kills. Shih posted 13 assists, and Prieto served two aces and collected five digs. The Cannoneers' best stretch came late in the third set when Padilla delivered back-to-back aces and combined with Anabela Jakelic (Zagreb, Croatia) and Hughes on a block to trim the deficit before the Knights closed it out.
Neumann received 10 kills on .476 hitting from Taylor Long and nine kills from Julia Solomon, with Kyla Carney handing out 27 assists and Hannah Strohm serving five aces. For Rutgers-Camden, Avery Ang tallied six kills, 12 digs and two aces, and Jana Jovanovic hit .500 with six kills.
Pratt moves to 2-12 overall (0-1 Atlantic East). The Cannoneers return to Brooklyn to open a two-game homestand, hosting Bard on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m., before welcoming Immaculata on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. at the ARC.
