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MEDFORD, MA - After four intense games, the
Williams College Volleyball team (23-8) won the semi-final match of
the NCAA Regional Tournament by defeating UMass-Boston 3-1 (25-16,
15-25, 25-21, 25-22).
The Ephs have now earned a spot in the championship against
Tufts at 7p.m.
Getting off to a great start was critical for the Ephs' overall
success. They jumped to an early momentum in game one that resulted
in their 25-16 victory. In game two, UMass-Boston proved that they
would not go down without a fight. The Beacons answered the Ephs
right back, toppling them 25-15 to level the game.
The intensity between the two teams came to an apex in game
three, where both teams showed impressive effort. Early on, the
Ephs pushed past the Becons with a 14-9 lead. Both teams battled
from point to point. At 17-14, head coach Christi Kelsey called a
timeout that gave her team just the focus they needed to pull out
the 25-20 win. The Ephs' success in game three was very much
influenced by junior Nicole Ballon-Landa, who shut down the
Beacon's offense on the block. It was Ballon-Landa that sealed the
victory in the third set with a kill on a quick slide off of an
assist from fellow junior Emily Avis.
Williams continued their success into game four, earning an
early lead of 4-1. However, victory would not come to them as
quickly as in the other sets. The Beacons stepped up to the
challenge in this set, not allowing the Ephs to reach a lead of
more than two or three points after a timeout at 4-1. They then
tied up the game at 20-20, suggesting that they would force the
Ephs into a game five. Unfortunately for UMass, the Ephs were ready
to end in game four. Ballon-Landa brought the score to 24-22 with
another slide, and a hitting error from UMass ended the match.
Junior Kate Anderson led the Ephs with 17 kills in the match,
while adding seven digs and three blocks. Senior Whitney Hitchcock
contributed nine kills, 11 digs and four blocks, while Ballon-Landa
finished with eight kills and five blocks. Senior libero Andrea
Scioscia had 15 digs in the victory. Junior setter Emily Avis
contributed 46 assists and eight digs.
