Williamstown, MA – Williams College (9-1, 3-1 NESCAC) concluded a weekend of home play with a NESCAC matchup against Tufts University (9-4, 3-2 NESCAC). After five sets last night, Williams decided to do another five on Saturday afternoon and reigned victorious.
Much like the majority of the match, the fifth set was tumultuous. Senior
Allison Frison established the Ephs tone early on with a service ace to give Williams the lead 4-2. Williams pushed their lead to 7-3, highlighted by senior
Lydia Kurtz showcasing her high volleyball IQ with a line shot. Williams' energy was high, but after a Tufts timeout, the Jumbos began the comeback and narrowed the Williams lead to 10-9. Tufts sophomore Maddie Lu led the Jumbos charge from the service line. However, first-year
Tazmin Appiah exploded out of the middle to roll a shot into the deep corner for a kill. This intelligent play fired the Ephs up, giving Williams the 11-9 lead.
Tazmin Appiah did not stop there and followed up with two huge kills to continue the momentum, and Williams ultimately claimed the set 15-11.
The narrative of the first set was long intense rallies filled with incredible hustle from both teams. A 11-11 tie was broke by
Tazmin Appiah firing a kill down to take the lead and sending
Allison Frison back to the service line. The strong serves from
Allison Frison and a powerful kill from sophomore
Marit Hoyem pushed the Ephs lead to 16-12. From here, the Ephs never looked back. Tufts briefly threatened with a kill from sophomore Christine Audette which sent junior Stephanie Lee back to the service line. However, Williams buckled down, stopped the rally, and won the set, 25-20.
Again, the second set began with phenomenal athletic plays and hustle from both teams. The biggest lead gap in this set was three points, and this did not emerge until late down the stretch. Tufts play was led by Christine Audette and senior Cate Desler who found the holes in the Williams block, attacking the deep corners and utilizing the tip. However, Williams was undeterred and utilized a balanced offense to ensure the Tufts defense played out of system. A 20-20 tie was broken by a kill from Eph
Christina Conforti and was followed by
Marit Hoyem rejecting a Jumbo attempt at the net. This pushed the Williams lead to 22-20. Tufts took a timeout in an attempt to ice Williams, and although Jumbo Cate Desler fired down a kill, Williams responded with a sideout. A service ace from
Alicia Blanco helped the Ephs seal the deal, and Williams claimed the set 25-23.
In the third set, Tufts made some adjustments and exploded out of the gate. The Jumbos jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and never looked back – play was led by Cate Desler who recorded four kills. Williams appeared as though they were going to make a comeback when
Lydia Kurtz went back to the service line with Tufts up 18-11 and went on a 4-0 run, but the Tufts lead was too large. The Jumbos refused to relinquish the lead and took the third set 25-17.
The fourth set was again filled with remarkable play and hustle. Tufts libero Stephanie Lee flew all over the court and created options for the Jumbo offense. Eph
Tazmin Appiah kickstarted the middle of the set energy for Williams with four kills and two blocks. Sophomore
Lauren Kauppila stuffed a Jumbo at the net to give Williams the 19-18 lead which was followed up by another
Alicia Blanco service ace. However, Tufts continued to force sideouts and two kills from Christine Audette helped the Jumbos surge to the late set victory, 25-22.
Tufts leaders were: Cate Desler with 22 kills, Maddie Yu with 31 assists, and Stephanie Lee with 22 digs. Williams leaders were:
Tazmin Appiah with 17 kills,
Lauren Kauppila with 47 assists, and
Allison Frison with 24 digs.
Head coach
Christi Kelsey commented, "This was another great NESCAC battle, and Tufts is a very talented team. We came out strong in the first two sets, but Tufts made some adjustments and kept us on our toes in the third and fourth sets. We hung in there mentally, which I was really proud of, and see that as a major growth moment for us. In the fifth set, we battled back and forth and had the confidence to close it out, which was a great way to finish."
Williams will travel to Waterville, Maine on Friday, October 8
th where they will take on Colby College at 8 PM EST.
