Alexa Girasole, Senior Writer

The Bison volleyball team beat Holy Cross in an exciting five-set game on Nov. 10, but fell short to last year’s Patriot League Champions, American, on Nov. 12 in the final two games of the season. The team’s final record improved to 14-14 overall and 8-8 in the Patriot League.

The Bison fought hard against Holy Cross to pull out a five-set win for their 14th victory of the season. Sophie Bullard ’20 and Hailey Stout ’18 both recorded double-doubles in the contest, Bullard with 12 kills and 22 digs and Stout with 10 kills and 18 digs. Brooke Stark ’20 contributed 20 digs while teammates Alexa Bonanno ’21 and Delanie Lewis ’21 had 10 digs each. Luz Nagle ’18 and Bonanno contributed 23 and 22 assists, respectively.

The Orange and Blue were down 12-14 in the fifth and final set, but a kill by Stefanie Alpert ’18 followed by a block by Mimi Richards ’20 and Nagle tied the teams. A kill from Richards secured the final point and the match win for the Bison. Alpert finished with 11 kills and four out of the team’s six aces.

The Bison ended their season on a well-fought loss to the defending Patriot League Champions, American. In her final collegiate game, Alpert had eight kills and a .533 hitting percentage. Nagle finished with 11 assists and Celeste Barker ’18 recorded two blocks. The Orange and Blue finished just one match short of the fourth spot in the Patriot League Tournament.

Richards finished the season with a record-breaking 121 block assists, breaking the previous program record set in 1996. She also finished with 256 kills on the year, putting her in second place on the team with a final season hitting percentage of .305. Richards was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team for her accomplishments.

Bison volleyball will be returning with many starting players next season, and will look to improve on their 14-win mark, an achievement they have only hit twice in the past 11 seasons.