Women’s volleyball got back on track this past weekend, going 3-0 in an away tournament. The Mules suffered a tough loss to the University of New England (UNE) Tuesday, Oct. 19, but went on to win three separate matches against non-league opponents Bridgewater State, Wheaton College and Mount Holyoke later in the week.

Despite their 2-3 loss to UNE on Tuesday night, the Mules played exceptionally well in the match. Senior co-captain Mackie Sewall and junior Maggie Taylor had 11 kills against UNE. Junior Emily Varni served three aces, and sophomore Lily Kramlich-Taylor had nine kills to help the Mules make it a five-set match. Unfortunately, the Mules’ excellent playing was not enough to earn them the win, but there was still cause for celebration. Senior co-captain Caitlin Burchill had 10 digs in the match, which helped her reach the truly remarkable milestone of 1,000 career digs Tuesday night.

On Oct. 21, the Mules headed to Western Mass. to compete in the Hall of Fame Women’s Invitational. The team beat Bridgewater State 3-0, with set scores of 25-14, 25-7, 25-21. The Colby offense was seemingly unstoppable: Taylor served five aces in the match, sophomore Kate Pleasants served three and sophomore Ellie Linden finished the game with a solid two aces. Collectively, the team served 16 aces over the course of three sets.

The Mules continued their winning streak, beating Wheaton 3-1, with set scores of 25-10, 17-25, 25-9, 25-23. Kramlich-Taylor played a great game, ending the match with nine kills and Sewall and Kate Bellerose ’14 had seven kills apiece. Burchill and Varni were stellar on defense, finishing the game with 18 and 13 digs, respectively. Taylor was an all-around asset to the team Saturday with eight kills and 11 defensive digs in the win over Wheaton.

The Mules finished off a solid weekend with a big 3-0 win over Mount Holyoke on Oct. 22. Burchill played well on both offense and defense, finishing the match with nine kills and 17 digs. Bellerose also had nine kills in the win. Taylor’s skill was once again apparent in the afternoon match as she nailed five kills and contributed heavily to the defense with 12 digs. The Mules finished with set scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-16, allowing them to go undefeated on the weekend.

The Mules were not the only ones who recognized Taylor’s outstanding work last weekend: at the end of the weekend, she was selected to the all-tournament team.

Overall, the Mules had a productive week. After losing the close match against UNE, the Mules headed into last weekend’s tournament with the confidence, energy and skill that helped them leave Western Mass. 3-0. The Mules are now 10-12 and will wrap up their regular season matches in three away games next week against Maine Maritime Academy, Wesleyan University and Trinity College.