MEDFORD, MA- The Williams College volleyball team (23-12)
defeated Middlebury 3-1 (25-15, 25-16, 22-25, 25-17) in the
quarterfinals of the NESCAC Championships on Friday evening.
The Ephs now face top-seeded Tufts in Saturday's semifinal.
"Things are coming together at the right time," said assistant
coach Joel Williams. "As long as we continue to defend well
we can reach all our goals."
The Ephs came out strong against the fifth seeded Panthers
taking the first and second sets decisively. With their
season in jeopardy, Middlebury battled back to take the third set
and came out to a small 14-12 defecit in the fourth. The
Ephs, however, proved too much as they were able to close out the
match on a strong 11-5 run.
One of the many keys to victory for the Ephs was the efficiency
on offense. Sophomore setter Emily Avis, who has battled
injuries all season, was able to recapture her NESCAC tournament
magic as she followed up last years 71-assist championship match
with 53 assists and 3 service aces.
Sophomores Nicole Ballon-Landa and Kate Anderson made great use
of the excellent passing and setting of the Ephs by posting
exceptional numbers for the match. Ballon-Landa smashed a
team-high 20 kills to go along with three blocks, while Anderson
added 18 kills, two aces, and two blocks.
On defense, the Ephs were led by juniors Chelsea Kubal (19 digs,
8 kill) and Melissa Pun (11 digs), and senior Riki McDermott (8
digs). Rounding out the numbers for the Ephs were junior
Whitney Hitchcock (5 kills, 4 blocks) and sophomore Eleanor Levine
(6 kills, 2 blocks).
The Ephs now look forward to tomorrow's semifinal match against
Tufts at 1 PM.
