The Middlebury volleyball team endured 3-1 losses against Cortland and Salisbury at the Scranton Invitational on Saturday.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. CORTLAND

• After playing to a 7-7 tie in the starting session, the Red Dragons rattled off four consecutive points with scoring swings from Erica Arroyo and Emalee Ballouto to lead 11-7.
• The Panthers responded with a 7-2 run fora 14-13 edge. Middlebury took advantage of three Cortland attack errors while Molly MacDonald and Ava Tuccio logged kills in the sequence.
• Both sides battled for positioning. The Red Dragons claimed nine of eleven to lead 22-16, but Gabby Pribisich ignited a late comeback with four winning strikes to spark a 9-2 surge for Middlebury and tie the set at 25. Kira Pirrera and Ballou logged consecutive kills to seal the opening stanza for the Red Dragons, 27-25.
• Neither team led by more than three points in the second frame as each jockeyed for position. Both teams swung at their highest clip in the match to reach a 17-17 score.
• Harrison and MacDonald succeeded on back-to-back swings amidst a 3-0 Middlebury run to go ahead 20-19. The Red Dragons recorded accurate attacks on five of their final six points and shook off the late bid with a 25-23 win in the second set.
• Caroline Byrne and Harrison combined for three kills as the Panthers built a 7-3 lead in the third. Cortland capitalized on errors to take four straight points and seven of the ensuing 10 to tie the tilt, 10-10.
• A 5-2 run gave Middlebury a 15-12 lead that it would not relinquish. The Panthers snatched eight of 11 points to finalize the frame at 25-19, headlined by six scoring swings from Pribisich, MacDonald and Tuccio combined.
• After trailing 4-3, the Red Dragons captured the momentum with an 11-1 blitz to lead 14-5. Ballou led the charge with three kills in the span.
• Cortland doubled up Middlebury over the ensuing nine points to lead 19-8. The Panthers finished the stanza on an 11-6 run, but could not erase the early deficit as the Red Dragons secured the 25-19 set victory and the 3-1 match win.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. SALISBURY

• The sides battled to a 6-6 deadlock in the first session. Harrison led the Panthers with three successful attacks, while four Sea Gulls logged kills in the first 12 points.
• Middlebury and Salisbury split the next 14 points evenly, playing to a 13-13 tie before the Sea Gulls claimed four of the next five points to lead 17-14 and prompt a Panther timeout.
• Four Middlebury players tallied scoring swings amidst a 5-2 run to tie the set, 19-19. Harrison capped a 10-kill stanza with three more in a 6-3 run that gave the Panthers the 25-22 win to begin the match.
• After falling behind 4-1, the Sea Gulls used a 14-4 run to lead 15-8 in the second frame. Gwen Eustace headlined the push with six successful attacks for Salisbury.
• Byrne tallied two successful attacks late, but the Sea Gulls outscored Middlebury 10-9 to win the session, 25-17.
• Harrison, Byrne and Tuccio combined for four putaways in a 4-1 start to the third set for the Panthers. Salisbury responded with six of the next eight to lead 7-6.
• The Panthers won five consecutive points, led by a pair of service aces from Lauren Baxter to establish an 11-7 edge. A 5-1 Sea Gull run, capped by a Sophia Tapia kill, knotted the score at 12-12.
• After consecutive Middlebury tallies, Salisbury closed the frame with a 13-3 run that sealed a 25-17 victory in the third. Eustace and Tapia had five combined scoring swings in the surge.
• The Panthers logged the opening three points before a seven-point Sea Gull stretch put Salisbury ahead 7-3 in the final set. The foes traded markers before Pribisich punctuated a 4-0 stint with consecutive kills, building an 11-10 Middlebury advantage.
• The teams traded the ensuing 10 points to put the Panthers ahead 16-15, but the Sea Gulls closed the match with a 10-4 swing to secure the final set (25-20) and the 3-1 match victory.

NOTES

• Molly Harrison logged 14 scoring swings and 12 digs for her 34th career double-double against Cortland. She climbed to 10th in program history in career kills (833) with a season-high 19 putaways against Salisbury.
• Campbell Bartley distributed a career-high 48 assists against the Red Dragons before adding  36 helpers against Salisbury.
• Cortland and Middlebury squared off for the fifth time with the Red Dragons taking a 3-2 lead in the series.
• The Panthers and Sea Gulls met for the fourth time. Salisbury holds a 3-1 edge in the matchup.

The Panthers return to the court on Friday when they head east to face Connecticut College at 7:00 p.m.