Williamstown, MA – Williams College (11-2, 5-2 NESCAC) took on Wesleyan University (12-2, 6-2 NESCAC) for the first NESCAC matchup of the weekend. After three sets, Wesleyan emerged victorious.
The first set was a thriller with exceptional hustle from all players. Both liberos, Eph
Allison Frison and Cardinal Jenna Otaola, played phenomenal defense, reading swings off the block and flying around the court to keep the ball off the ground. Williams and Wesleyan traded the ball back and forth for the duration of the set until Wesleyan senior Maddie Kurke powered down a kill, sending sophomore Mariko Tanaka back to the service line. The Cardinals pushed their lead to 17-13. This Cardinal lead was built on behind three kills from first year Sydney Smith and two kills from junior Brina Kuslak, expanding the gap to 21-14. However, Eph first year
Tazmin Appiah powered down a kill to stop the Cardinal run, and Williams began the comeback. Strong serving from sophomore
Lauren Kauppila narrowed the Wesleyan lead, and the big Williams push came from another kill from
Celia Adams, sending senior
Lydia Kurtz back to the service line.
Lydia Kurtz led a 3-point run, to tie the set at 23-23. From here, it was a mad dash to the finish with long rallies. Eph sophomore
Marit Hoyem exploded out of the middle for a kill to tie the set at 26-26, but Wesleyan took the lead with a kill from junior Bella Ahearn. A smart backwards tip from Eph
Lauren Kauppila tied the set at 27-27, but this was not enough as Wesleyan surged to the late set victory, 29-27.
Wesleyan utilized their energy to come out strong in the second set, pushing to an early 12-6 lead. Williams was unable to recover from this strong lead but intelligent kills from
Celia Adams and a back row roll shot from
Lydia Kurtz highlighted Williams play. Wesleyan sophomore Kate Long was the substitution off the bench to help propel the Cardinals to the victory, 25-14.
Wesleyan opened the third set led by two kills from Kate Long and two kills from Brina Kuslak to push to a lead of 8-4. Although down early, Williams rallied and a kill from junior
Anna Tosolini started a 4-0 run, highlighted by a double block from
Marit Hoyem and junior
Christina Conforti. After this run, Wesleyan's lead was narrowed to 12-10. However, the Cardinals continued to pull away. A kill from Eph
Marit Hoyem reversed the momentum to Williams, initiating a 5-0 with Marit herself leading the charge from the service line. Williams then took the lead 18-16. Wesleyan responded with a 6-0 run of their own, behind the strong serving of Mariko Tanaka taking back the lead 22-18. This gap was too much for Williams to overcome, and Wesleyan surged to the win 25-19.
Wesleyan leaders were: Brina Kuslak with 12 kills, first year Maya Lopansri with 36 assists, and first year Kiana Yuhl with 14 digs. Williams leaders were:
Celia Adams with 10 kills,
Lauren Kauppila with 33 assists, and
Lydia Kurtz with 13 digs.
Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey commented, "In the first and third sets, we found ourselves in a bit of a hole and dug our way out. I was impressed with our mentality switch when we got in those moments. The biggest learning lesson from tonight is finding consistency with the mentality switch, and we are hoping to put that together for tomorrow."
Williams will take on Connecticut College at 2 PM EST on Saturday, October 16
th in Chandler Gymnasium.
