Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Schenectady, N.Y. – Williams College (3-0) closed out the Union Invitational with two wins, defeating Skidmore College (2-5) 3-0 and Suffolk University (3-5) 3-1.
In the first match of the day, Williams earned a sweep over Skidmore. A third set with seven lead changes challenged the Ephs, but they showed their resilience with necessary side outs, helping them take the decision maker in the match.
A service error by Skidmore junior Audrey Powell broke a 18-18 tie, giving Williams the 19-18 lead. This Skidmore error switched the momentum in favor of Williams as the Ephs did not surrender the lead for the remainder of the set. Two kills by sophomore
Celia Adams and a service ace from sophomore
Lauren Kauppila set up the final run, and Williams claimed the third set 25-21 and ultimately the match 3-0.
In the first set, Williams had a slow start as Skidmore had solid all around play led by junior Chelsea Winegar with two kills. Skidmore held a 12-6 lead over Williams before the Ephs began chipping away. A kill from Williams junior
Christina Conforti and capitalization on Skidmore errors allowed Williams to narrow the Skidmore lead.
Dominant serves from Williams first-year
Sidra Wohlwend helped the Ephs take a 17-16 lead, but Skidmore kept the set interesting, proceeding to tie the set up three more times. Ultimately, Williams broke a 21-21 tie and handled the few remaining points. A kill from junior
Kiley Wallace won the set for Williams, 25-22.
Although Skidmore dropped the first set to Williams, Skidmore opened the second set strong, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. This proved to be the only dominating lead Skidmore would hold as a kill from senior
Lydia Kurtz shifted momentum back to Williams and keyed 7-0 run. Senior
Allison Frison's serving contributed to this run and proved to be instrumental in forcing the Skidmore defense to work out of sequence. The Ephs then built a 9-7 lead and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the set. All Ephs contributed to a strong second set performance, most notably highlighted by three kills from sophomore
Marit Hoyem.
Skidmore leaders were: sophomore Sophie Sacco with 7 kills, Audrey Powell with 21 assists, and first-year Tiffany Flores with 8 digs. Williams leaders were:
Lydia Kurtz and first-year
Tazmin Appiah with 6 kills each,
Lauren Kauppila with 27 assists, and
Allison Frison and
Sidra Wohlwend with 7 kills each.
To conclude the Union Invitational, Williams took on Suffolk University and emerged victorious 3-1.
Strong serving from
Marit Hoyem and
Allison Frison helped propel the Ephs to a fourth set victory of 25- .
Marit Hoyem led a 7-0 run, instigated by strong serving with three aces which ultimately pushed the Ephs' lead to 18-8. Williams then never surrendered the lead, cruising to a 25-14 victory.
The first set between Williams and Suffolk was interesting as the two were evenly matched. Play proceeded to go back and forth with long rallies of impressive digs and hustle. A powerful line shot by
Kiley Wallace sparked the Ephs's energy and pushed their lead to 22-20, seemingly setting up the Ephs for a first set win. Suffolk was persevered and behind the serving of first-year Mckenna Keowen and 2 Williams errors, the set was tied at 22-22. However, a cross body shot by Williams junior
Anna Tosolini gave the Ephs the a one point lead, but the Ephs were unable to hold on as Suffolk first-year Morgan Kelsey dominated from the service line and gave Suffolk the first set victory, 25-23.
A first set deficit did not slow the Ephs down as they rallied in the second set. Although Suffolk jumped out to an early 7-3 lead with two kills each from McKenna Keowen and sophomore Jasmine James, the Ephs persisted and rallied, piecing together their largest run of 7-0. After this run, Williams was in clear control of the set and diversified their attack, utilizing five different players to keep Suffolk on their toes. Eph
Marit Hoyem led the final push with three crucial kills aiding the Ephs' surge to a 25-18 victory.
In the third set, Eph
Lydia Kurtz could not be controlled by Suffolk as she consistently found gaps in the Suffolk defense, earning 5 kills. Four Eph service aces and clutch kills from senior
Olivia Hindy kept the Ephs rolling throughout the set. Williams' energy and confidence helped them maintain control of play throughout the entire third set, defeating Suffolk 25-15.
Suffolk leaders were: Jasmine James with 7 kills, first-year Jayla Martinez with 10 assists, and Mckenna Keowen with 10 digs. Williams leaders were:
Kiley Wallace and
Christina Conforti with 11 kills each,
Lauren Kauppila with 30 assists, and Lauren Kauppilla with 9 digs.
Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey reflected on the weekend, "Both of today's matches showed more potential strengths of our team as well as highlighting how much depth we have at every position to start this season. Everyone had the opportunity to come in and contribute. Overall, seeing how much our team played for each other and the energy created together was a real highlight of this weekend. We learned a lot about ourselves and are excited to work hard and continue our growth process this next week."
Williams finished the Union Invitational with a 3-0 record. The Ephs' next match will take place at home in Chandler Gymnasium on Wednesday, September 15
th, beginning at 6 PM EST against Vassar College.
This Vassar match and all Eph home matches will be webcast:
https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/williams-college/
*Attendance at indoor competitions at Williams is for now limited to students, faculty and staff who participate in the college's Covid testing program. This is consistent with the college's approach to visitors inside other campus buildings.
*All spectators must wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
*Students, faculty and staff must show college ID for admission.
