Waterville, ME – The Williams College Ephs (10-1, 4-1 NESCAC) traveled to Waterville, Maine to take on the Colby College Mules (7-6, 1-5 NESCAC) for the first match of this 2-match away trip. To earn their 4
th NESCAC victory, the Ephs swept the Mules.
In the first set, Williams began to pull away behind three straight service aces from sophomore
Marit Hoyem, pushing the lead to 11-7. However, Colby slowly narrowed the Williams lead and a strong solo block from junior Natalie Bumpus concluded the Ephs run. This block rattled the Ephs and forced a subsequent Williams error to tie the set at 13-13. It appeared as though Colby was going to continue their mid-set run, but Williams re-energized behind an electric solo block from
Marit Hoyem to give Williams the 16-15 lead.
From here, Williams utilized smart attacks from junior
Christina Conforti and sophomore
Celia Adams to build the Ephs' lead down the stretch. A Williams service error sent Colby first year Bella Schumacher back to the service line, and after Schumacher's two service aces, the Mules forced an Eph timeout. The Colby run tied the set at 22-22, but after a long volley, Williams claimed the go-ahead point for a 23-22 lead. A well-executed slide from Eph first year
Tazmin Appiah found the deep corner, and Williams reached set point, leading 24-22. Colby had one last chance from the service line, but from the outside pin, Eph senior
Lydia Kurtz used the misplacement of the Colby block to earn the set point, giving Williams the victory 25-23.
Williams began the second set with strong energy. Early play was highlighted by a decisive kill from
Celia Adams, a strong line shot from
Lydia Kurtz, and a tip from Mule first-year Susie Mueller to the center of the court. Both teams showcased their volleyball intelligence, forcing many out of system balls. After sending Colby's Susie Mueller back to the service line and utilizing strong blocking – most notably highlighted by Natalie Bumpus - Colby went on a 4-0 run, taking the lead 14-12. The Ephs slowly chipped away at the Mules' lead behind a kill from
Marit Hoyem and strong serving from both senior
Alicia Blanco and first-year
Sidra Wohlwend, forcing a 15-15 tie. The set saw 3 additional ties, eventually broken by a right-side attack from
Lydia Kurtz, giving Williams the 19-18 lead. Colby cut the deficit to 1 point with the help of Natalie Bumpus rejecting an Eph attempt at the net and a service ace from Susie Mueller. However, an attack error gave Williams the sideout and swung momentum back in favor of the Ephs. Williams claimed the second set 25-21.
Williams controlled the duration of the third set with all aspects of the game working in their favor. Early in the set, Colby juniors Morgan Selby and Samantha Schultz tried to rally the Mules, but this was to no avail. The Williams offense was utilizing a robust attack, and the Ephs' defense exuded impeccable hustle, led by senior
Allison Frison. The largest Williams push came from both senior defensive leaders,
Allison Frison and
Alicia Blanco working together in the back row and from the service line. Three kills from
Marit Hoyem also highlighted this 9-1 Eph run. After this run, Williams held a strong 21-11 lead, and although Colby senior libero Julia Hutchings tried to lead the late charge from the service line, this was ultimately unsuccessful. Williams held too large of a lead, and down the stretch, two kills from
Lydia Kurtz pushed Williams to set point, capped off by a kill from Eph senior
Olivia Hindy. Williams claimed the third set, 25-15.
Colby leaders were: Natalie Bumpus with 5 kills, Morgan Selby with 9 assists, and sophomore Jenny Slaveck with 14 digs. Williams'
Lydia Kurtz recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs, leading the team in both categories. Williams'
Lauren Kauppila led the Ephs in the assist column with 33.
Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey remarked, "Tonight was a great test for us both physically and mentally. Colby had some good pieces and really forced us to stay present and push in each point. It's our first road trip in some time, and a long one at that, so we had to work to transition and create how we wanted to compete today. I'm proud of how we got sharper and played cleaner in each set, and we are looking forward to another opportunity to compete tomorrow!"
The Ephs will conclude this road trip on Saturday, October 9
th when they will travel to Lewiston, Maine to take on Bates College at 2 PM EST.
