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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- Head Coach Fran Vandermeer
became the all-time leader in victories at Williams as her
women's volleyball team (21-7, 6-1) defeated conference rival
Middlebury (15-10, 5-2), 3-1 (26-30, 33-31, 30-26, 30-19),
Wednesday night. The Ephs used a 19-8 run to finish off the
decisive fourth game and claim the comeback win.
“Early on we were inconsistent with our ball control,”
said Vandermeer. “As the match went on we took better
care of the ball and our offense was more efficient because of
it.”
Playing in front a huge home crowd, the match was the cornerstone
of the “Williams Volleyball Aces for the Cure” campaign
to raise money for the fight against breast cancer. At the
start of the match, the Ephs had already raised $3000.
Middlebury came out firing in the first game and lead by as many
as eight en route to the 30-26 win. In the second game, the
score was tied five times down the stretch as Williams was able to
claim a very close win. From that point on, the Ephs found a
rhythm on both offense and defense, and closed out the victory.
The first year tandem of Emily Avis and Nicole Ballon-Landa
continued to post big numbers and lead the Eph offense.
Coming off a selection to the Hall of Fame All-Tournament
team, Ballon-Landa smashed a team high 22 kills to go along with 6
digs, while Avis tallied a season-high 60 assists and recorded 17
digs.
The Ephs also got key contributions from sophomores Alisha Cahlan,
Whitney Hitchcock, Melissa Pun, and Chelsea Kubal. Cahlan
smashed 14 kills, while Hitchcock (17 digs, 11 kills), Pun (18
digs, 12 kills), and Kubal (13 digs, 11 kills) all posted
impressive, well-balanced numbers.
After taking sole possession of second place in the NESCAC, the
Ephs now look ahead to three key conference matches this weekend
against Wesleyan, Conn. College, and Trinity. Conn. College
hosts this NESCAC weekend, which marks the end of the regular
season for the Ephs.
