Volleyball Recap: South Burlington Comes Up Short in High-Profile Match with Essex + How To Watch

South Burlington faced Essex in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Wolves came up short against the Hornets, falling 3-0. The Wolves' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.

South Burlington was was forced to take the loss, but they sure made Essex work for it, especially in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-11, 27-25, 25-15.

Maggie Castro

Digs

09/25/25 vs Essex	14
09/19/25 vs Mt. Mansfield	35
09/17/25 @ Champlain Valley Union	12
09/10/25 @ Colchester	22
09/05/25 vs Mt. Mansfield	24
+ 2 more games

Despite the loss, South Burlington saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Maggie Castro had 14 digs and one assist. Castro is crushing it when it comes to digs: she's had at least 12 every time she's taken the court this season.

Essex found their leader in sophomore Anna Hotaling, who had 12 digs and two aces.

South Burlington's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Essex, the win keeps them at an undefeated 7-0.

South Burlington wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 3-1 loss against Rice Memorial on the 29th. As for Essex, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 3-0 victory against Burlington on the 29th.