STANDISH, Maine.- The Dean College Bulldogs women's volleyball team fell in both matches of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match on Saturday, 3-0 to St. Joseph's College of Maine, and 3-0 to Johnson & Wales.

In the opening match, Dean fell 25-14, 27-25, and 25-20. In the opening game, Dean fell behind early. St. Joe's raced out to a 13-4 lead and never looked back en route to a comfortable win. The second game was different, with the Bulldogs gaining an early lead and maintaining their advantage throughout most of the frame. Trailing 22-20, the Monks scored two straight to tie the game. Dean responded with two in a row of their own, off a kill from first-year Maddy Seymour (Simsbury, Conn,) and an attack error from St. Joe's. In crunch time, the hosts scored three straight to take the game. The hosts took a big lead in the third set, gaining a 19-9 advantage before a Dean rally closed the gap. Trailing 24-17, Dean scored three straight to get within striking distance, but a kill from Victoria Briones put the match away.

Seymour led Dean with seven kills and four digs. Caitlin Cooper (Amherst, N.H.) added five kills and a block. Senior Emily Ball (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had five kills and six digs, while senior Anabella Driscoll (Plymouth, Mass.) had 17 assists. Junior Skylar Raskevitz (Easthampton, Mass.) recorded 12 digs.

In the second match, Johnson & Wales got the better of the Bulldogs, winning 25-13, 27-25, and 25-22. JWU took a 5-0 lead in the opening game, cruising all the way to 16-4 early advantage. Dean closed the gap to 16-11 with seven straight points with Raskevitz on the serve, but the Wildcats responded and closed out the game with a run of their own, scoring nine of the final 11 points. Dean dominated the majority of the second set, leading 13-5 and 19-8 before the Wildcats caught fire. Trailing 21-10, JWU scored 15 of the next 18 points to take a 25-24 lead. After Dean tied the game at 25 on an attack error from the Wildcats, Johnson & Wales scored the final two points to take the pivotal second game. In the final set, JWU used an early run to establish a 10-6 lead, and maintained their advantage despite consistent threatening from the Bulldogs. A kill from Ball closed the gap to 24-22, but JWU countered with a kill by Madison Bruner to close out the match.

Dean (5-10, 1-3 GNAC) was led by Ball's eight kills. Cooper and Seymour added five a piece, while Driscoll had 18 assists.

Up next for the Bulldogs is a road contest at Mitchell next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.