Williamstown, MA – Williams College (8-0, 2-0 NESCAC) took on Hamilton College (5-2, 1-1 NESCAC) for the second matchup of NESCAC play. Both teams battled throughout five sets, but Williams emerged victorious in the fifth.
The fifth set opened with a solo block from senior
Olivia Hindy followed by a service ace from sophomore
Lauren Kauppila to give Williams the early 2-0 lead. From here, Hamilton threatened with strong kills from sophomore Kate Carman and junior Deirdre Corrigan, but the Continentals were never able to take the lead. Williams held off the late attack and took a 9-7 lead after a Hamilton error and a kill from junior
Kiley Wallace. This proved to be the energy switch the Ephs needed as they settled in and controlled the remainder of the set, claiming the set 15-7s and the match.
In the first set, Williams opened with a 11-0 run, highlighted by dynamic plays and efforts by all Ephs. The run was capped off by a widely impressive dig by
Lauren Kauppila after which a solo block from senior
Olivia Hindy completed the play. Hamilton was unable to recover from the early Williams lead, and the Ephs controlled play for the duration of the set. Off a slide set, sophomore
Marit Hoyem recorded a kill to give the Ephs the 22-4 lead, and from here, Williams cruised to the 25-5 victory.
After a dominant performance in the first set, Williams opened the second set with similar energy. Senior
Lydia Kurtz powered a kill down the line to give the Ephs the early lead, followed by a double block from
Kiley Wallace and
Marit Hoyem. The Ephs were in a rhythm and in sequence although Hamilton's Kate Carman and first-year Drew Stimson highlighted play for the Continentals, firing down attacks out of the middle and outside. However, Williams was unfazed and won 25-18.
In the third set, Hamilton was persistent and played together as a team to throw Williams out of sequence. Play was back and forth, but a kill from Deirdre Corrigan started a 5-0 Hamilton run, also highlighted by two service aces from Deirdre Corrigan. This proved to be the lead that Hamilton needed as Williams was unable to narrow the gap closer than 3 points. A kill from Eph
Lydia Kurtz almost kickstarted a Williams rally, but a service error shifted the momentum back in favor of the Continentals. Hamilton was able to hang onto the lead and utilized the strong play from Kate Carman to take the third set 25-21.
Williams opened the fourth set by jumping out to a 5-1 lead, but Hamilton was determined to use the energy from the previous set to keep the comeback rolling. Hamilton broke the 13-13 tie behind two Williams errors and a kill from Drew Stimson. Williams briefly threatened the Continental lead behind a kill from
Olivia Hindy, but the Continentals were rolling. They were able to find the gaps in the Williams defense by utilizing the quick set out of the middle and line shots from Kate Carman. Ultimately, the Ephs were unable to slow the Continentals down, and Hamilton won the set 25-17.
Hamilton leaders were: Kate Carman with 13 kills, sophomore Melissa Morelli with 28 assists, and first-year Cece Nourie with 8 digs. Williams leaders were:
Lydia Kurtz with 17 kills,
Lauren Kauppila with 48 assists, and
Lauren Kauppila with 11 digs.
Head coach
Christi Kelsey remarked, "In practice this week, we focused a lot on our skill set and mental side of the game, and we executed both of those very well in the first two sets. To Hamilton's credit, they came back and applied some pressure on us, but that's the NESCAC. We're grateful to have got the win!"
Williams is back in action against Bowdoin College at home on Friday, October 1
st at 8 PM EST.
