WATERVILLE, Maine – The UW-Stout volleyball team opened its 2025 season with a hard-fought battle against No. 19-ranked Colby College, falling in straight sets (19-25, 17-25, 22-25) on Friday evening at the Margaret M. Crook Center.
Stout (0-1) hit .148 as a team with 35 kills, led by sophomore
Brooke McCune's 14 kills on .300 hitting with 10 digs for a double-double. Junior
Emma Barton added six kills and a block, while sophomore
Kyra Giffen contributed six kills. Senior
Lainey Todd paced the offense with 22 assists and added a kill and an ace.
Colby, the defending NESCAC champions, capitalized on 10 service aces and five blocks to secure the sweep. LJ Grant led the Mules with eight kills and two aces, while Brady Moseley chipped in nine kills.
Set 1: Colby 25, Stout 19 The Mules jumped out to an early lead, using a 7-0 run midway through the set to pull ahead 14-6. The Blue Devils rallied late, closing to 18-22. However, the Mules closed out the set.
Set 2: Colby 25, Stout 17 Colby again built momentum early, racing to a 14-3 advantage. The Blue Devils mounted a comeback, reeling off a 13-9 run fueled by five kills from McCune and two from Barton to narrow the gap to 23-16. But Stout's push fell short.
Set 3: Colby 25, Stout 22 Stout came out firing in the final frame, building a 12-6 lead on blocks involving
Brynn Hessel and Giffen, plus kills from McCune and Giffen. The Blue Devils extended to 14-7 before Colby responded with an 11-3 run to take a 18-17 edge. The teams traded points late, with Stout pulling withing one at 22-23 on a
Rio Beaulieu kill, but the Mules scored the final two points to secure the win.
Stout recorded 49 digs as a team, with
Kailey Kline leading the way at 18. The Blue Devils held Colby to .176 hitting but were hindered by 10 reception errors against the Mules' aggressive serve.
The Blue Devils continue their road trip tomorrow with matches against Maine Maritime Academy and Endicott at the Colby Invitational.
