DANBURY, Conn. – The Salve Regina University women's volleyball team opened their 2018 season by splitting a pair of five-set matches at the Western Connecticut Tournament.

The Seahawks fell 3-2 (25-15, 18-25, 25-22, 20-25, 8-15) to Emerson in the first match of the season.

Cassidy Trabilcy (Phoenix, Ariz.) posted a team-high 14 kills while Katie Linekin (Ridgefield, Conn.) led the team defensively with 14 digs. Annie Donahue (Chelmsford, Mass.) logged nine kills and a team-high five assisted blocks.

In match two, the Seahawks needed five sets to dispatch Simmons College (21-25, 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, 16-14). The Sharks took a 2-1 lead in the match, but the Seahawks battled back to take the fourth set and went to extras in the fifth. The Sharks had match point in the fifth set, but a kill from Kendall Wilcox kept the Seahawks alive, then back-to-back aces from Trabilcy set the stage for Annie Donahue to end the match and secure the Seahawks first victory of the season.

Wilcox led the way with 15 kills while Olivia Noonan and Erin Proctor both tallied 25 assists. Linekin again paced the Seahawks in digs with nine, and Donahue collected three assisted blocks and two solo blocks.

The Seahawks (1-1) will continue play on Saturday, September 1 with matches against host Western Connecticut State and Lasell College.