SOUTH HADLEY, MA- The Williams College women's volleyball
team (19-6, 5-1) rebounded from a tough loss against rival Amherst
to pick up two victories on the opening day of the Hall of Fame
Tournament. The Ephs, playing at Holyoke Community College,
defeated Westfield State 3-0 (30-17, 30-13, 30-15) and then capped
the night with a 3-1 (30-32, 30-25, 30-26, 30-23) victory over
Springfield College.
In the opening win over Westfield State, the Ephs were led on
offense by sophomore Whitney Hitchcock (5 kills), and first years
Eleanor Levine (6 kills) and Nicole Ballon-Landa (11 kills).
Junior captain Riki McDermott also contributed posting 9
digs.
The second match proved to be a lot closer, with the Ephs dropping
the first game before sweeping the final three.
“This was a textbook matchup of Springfield versus
Williams,” said head coach Fran Vandermeer. “This
was a really competitive, well played defensive match by both
teams, and it was just a fun one to watch.”
The Springfield match featured outstanding performances from
sophomore Melissa Pun and first year setter Emily Avis. Pun
posted 21 kills and 17 digs, while Avis tallied an impressive 50
assists and 20 digs.
The tandem of Hitchcock (9 kills, 4 blocks), and first years
Ballon-Landa (16 kills, 4 blocks) and Kate Anderson (11 kills, 4
blocks) not only stepped it up on offense, but were also a presence
at the net. The defense was led by McDermott (13 digs), and
sophomores Chelsea Kubal (14 digs) and Andrea Scioscia (10
digs).
“Our block got really involved in this match, and there were
just a lot of kids making key contributions,” said
Vandermeer. “Emily [Avis] did a good job running the
offense and Chelsea [Kubal], Andrea [Scioscia], and Riki
[McDermott] were excellent on defense.”
The Ephs now continue play at the Hall of Fame Tournament tomorrow
with a 12 PM match against Brandeis, followed by a 4 PM match
versus Tufts or MIT. With a win tomorrow, Vandermeer will tie
Pat Manning for the most career wins at Williams (218).
