Middlebury, VT – Williams College (13-5, 6-3 NESCAC) traveled to Vermont to take on Middlebury College (19-4, 6-3 NESCAC). In three sets, Middlebury claimed the victory over Williams.
In the third set, both teams opened up battling back and forth. Middlebury collected an early 8-point run, led by the strong service arm of sophomore Katie Kraczkowsky. This gave the Panthers a 17-11 lead. Although Williams attempted to rally behind a dynamic kill and block from first year
Tazmin Appiah along with a kill from senior
Lydia Kurtz, the gap was too much to overcome. Middlebury surged to the third set victory, 25-17.
The first set began with runs from both teams, and Williams showcased strong serving by recording four aces with two from junior
Gracie Guidotti, one from sophomore
Lauren Kauppila, and one from sophomore
Marit Hoyem. Momentum did not shift until the middle of the set at a 15-15 tie. A kill from Williams sophomore
Celia Adams appeared to give Williams the necessary energy to embark on a run, but Middlebury responded with a 3 point run of their run, utilizing the serving of Katie Kraczkowsky. Williams attempted to narrow the gap and was able to eliminate the lead to one point behind two more kills from
Celia Adams. However, Middlebury responded with a varied attack front for a 4 point run to push the Panther lead to 23-18. This lead was too much for the Ephs, and Middlebury took the first set 25-21.
In the second set, both teams traded points back and forth throughout the majority of the set. It was not until Williams broke a 14-14 tie that an energy shift appeared. Two Middlebury errors and a kill from Eph
Marit Hoyem gave Williams the 17-14 lead. Middlebury was able to climb back into the set by capitalizing on errors, two kills from senior Maggie Wise, and a double block from junior Laney Sullivan and junior Lucy Ambach to tie the set at 18-18. Williams responded with a kill from
Marit Hoyem and
Lydia Kurtz to reclaim the lead, which was then followed by two Panther kills to tie the set again, but at 20-20. This set up an electric final push, of which Middlebury emerged victorious, taking the set 25-23.
Middlebury leaders were: Maggie Wise with 11 kills, first year Gabbie O'Toole with 32 assists, and sophomore Kelly Ferrero with 17 digs. Williams leaders were:
Lydia Kurtz with 9 kills,
Lauren Kauppila with 14 assists, and first year
Sidra Wohlwend with 25 digs.
Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey remarked, "We had some really great moments tonight but had a few stretches where we were off. Midd continued to execute consistently which made the difference especially in Sets 1 and 2. Our team is in a good place mentally and taking in the learning moments after this loss. We're looking forward to the opportunity to compete tomorrow!"
Williams will wrap up regular season play on the road against Amherst College at 2 PM EST on Saturday, October 30
th.
