MEFORD, MA- The Williams College volleyball team (24-12)
won in thrilling fashion, 3-2 (25-22, 26-28, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13),
against top seeded Tufts in the NESCAC semifinals. The Ephs
now find themselves in the NESCAC championship match for the third
consecutive year.
"I could not be more proud of our team today," said head coach
Fran Vandermeer. "We showed a lot of heart today by answering
every one of Tufts' runs."
For Williams, the momentum seemed to be in their favor for most
of the first two sets, as the Ephs found themselves up 1-0 in the
match and 24-19 in the second set. Tufts, however, refused to
go down without a fight, and rallied to score five consecutive
points and eventually took the second set.
Facing the possibility of a large emotional letdown, the Ephs
responded with heart and intensity by rallying from a small, early
deficit to take the third set. Tufts, however, responded the
same fashion in the fourth by jumping out to leads of 15-9 and
24-19 in the set win.
This set up a decisive set five in which every run was answered
with an equally impressive run by the other team. The Ephs
came out strong, jumping out to a 9-3 lead, but the Jumbos
responded with a 5-0 run. The teams continued to exchange
points as the set reached a 12-12 tie.
With the home crowd on their feet, the Ephs put together two
consecutive kills. With a 14-13 lead, the Ephs came out on the
winning end of a long rally as sophomore Kate Anderson blasted the
last of her team-high 24 kills.
"Both Williams and Tufts played some of the best defense I've
ever seen in New England in this match today," said Vandermeer.
Anderson also tallied 8 digs and 6 blocks, while junior Whitney
Hitchcock (9 blocks, 4 kills) and sophomore Nicole Ballon-Landa (19
kills, 2 aces) also contributed to an impressive offensive
attack. Sophomore setter Emily Avis continued her impressive
NESCAC tournament career with 54 assists, 14 digs, and two blocks.
One of the main keys for the Ephs in the marathon match was
answering Tufts offensive attack. Juniors Melissa Pun (21
digs) and Chelsea Kubal (20 digs, 3 aces, 3 blocks), and senior
Riki McDermott (14 digs) all led the charge on defense.
Rounding out the numbers for the Ephs were sophomore Eleanor
Levine, who smashed 8 kills on only 9 attempts for an impressive
.778 hitting average, and junior Andrea Scioscia (10 digs).
The Ephs face the winner of Amherst and Wesleyan in tomorrow
NESCAC championship match at 12 PM.
