Medford, Mass. -- Looking to rebound following
a tough loss to host Tufts the night before, the Ephs took on
Bowdoin this morning at Cousens Gymnasium. For their efforts the
team was rewarded with a well deserved, if tight, 5 set victory 3-2
(13-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-13, 15-10). The victory further clouds the
complicated picture for the upcoming NESCAC tournament, as the
Polar Bears had defeated Tufts the previous week in Brunswick,
Maine.
In set one the Ephs opened up slow as the upset minded Polar
Bears ran out to a quick 8-3 lead. Trying to dig themselves out of
the hole, the team would run once again into difficulties. The
Williams hitters struggled, proving unable to find the court and
score and committing 8 hitting errors opposite only 8 kills. Credit
must be given to their opponents, though, for the way in which
their scrappy defense flew all over the court, digging many hard
hit balls to prolong rallies. The Ephs, in return, were unable to
stop the Bowdoin offense at the net, recording no blocks as they
succumbed by a score of 25-13.
In set number two, though, the Ephs came out determined not to
relive memories of the previous night, and handed a 25-17 spanking
to the Bears as their offense once again came alive. Senior
co-captain Kate Anderson,
proving why she is feared as one of the most dominant hitters in
the region, would lead the team back into the match by hitting from
all over the floor. Anderson would finish the match with a team
leading 19 kills in 57 attempts, good for a hitting percentage of
.263.
In set three the Ephs looked like they were reverting to their
old ways, allowing Bowdoin to blow a close game wide open by
ripping off a long serving run to make the score 19-11. Digging
deep the Ephs responded, battling their way back into the set
behind the tough serving of Lauren Agoubi and
Emily
Baratta. The team would close the gap to one point at 20-21,
although would get no closer, as Bowdoin was able to recover and
take the set 25-21.
In set four the Ephs were the ones jumping out to a quick lead,
behind a 7-1 run. First year Emily Doll would
help the Ephs extend the lead deeper into the set with a tough
serving run of her own. Defensively the Ephs refused to let any
ball hit the floor, while staying strong and confident on serve
receive. The team was lead by Anderson's 19 digs, with junior
libero Aly
McKinnon and senior setter Emily Avis adding in
15 and 14 digs of their own, respectively. Avis, in her leadership
role, led the Ephs' highly balanced attack with 43 assists, helping
six hitters register kills in the match. The Ephs took the set
25-13.
Trying to stay fired up for the deciding fifth set, the team
came out flat, allowing Bowdoin to take a two-point lead and run
with it behind their fast-paced play. Following a time out the Ephs
buckled down to the task of fighting their way back into the match.
Refusing to roll over, the team rallied to knot the score at 10-10
and it was all Williams from there, as McKinnon served the team
home. Doll would have the final say in the match, with a monstrous
block on match point sealing the win for the Ephs, 15-10
The win, coupled with other conference losses, leaves the Ephs
tied for 2nd place in the NESCAC with a combined record of 16-7
(6-2 in NESCAC) and with a solid shot at hosting the NESCAC
tournament in three weeks.
In the meantime, though, the team has a tough road ahead, as they
travel down to Juniata College next weekend to take on three teams
currently ranked in the top ten nationally for Division III: the
hosts, Emory, and Eastern. The following weekend they will wrap up
conference play by facing archrivals and conference leading Amherst
as well as Middlebury at Hamilton College.
