Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Cambridge, MA - Williams College (11-7) took on Springfield College (16-6) and No. 23 Babson College (19-5) in the second day of the New England Challenge.
In their first match of the day, Williams came away with a straight set victory over Springfield.
The third set was close from start to finish, with neither team able to build a lead larger than two points at any time. In the end though, it was Williams that was able to use a late timeout to steady themselves and claim the last two points to win the third set 25-23 off a service ace from junior Celia Adams. The Ephs were led on the attacking front by Celia Adams as she racked up six kills in the set.
Springfield got off to a fast start in the first set, building an early 10-4 lead. Although the Pride continued their momentum for a while, the Ephs then used a 6-2 run to pull back within two points, forcing a Springfield timeout with the score at 16-14. Springfield continued to nurse a small lead, with set points at 24-23 and 25-24, although Williams used strong kills from seniors Christina Conforti and Anna Tosolini to save each point. After that, a double block from Christina Conforti and junior Marit Hoyem helped the Ephs take their first lead of the set. The Ephs were then able to close out the first set 28-26 with a powerful kill from Celia Adams.
In the second set, this time it was the Ephs that started well, racing out to a 10-4 advantage early on. Although the Pride were able to narrow the deficit to three points at 11-8, that was the closest the set would ever get, as Williams was able to nurse a comfortable lead for the remainder of the set. The Ephs claimed the second set 25-17 with a kill from Merit Hoyem, her team-leading sixth of the set.
Springfield leaders were: sophomore Riley Donahue with 11 kills, first year Megan Kirtyan with 22 assists, and sophomore Natalie Billet with 17 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 14 kills, senior Gracie Guidotti with 17 assists, and Celia Adams with 12 digs.
For their second match of the day, Williams took on #23 Babson and claimed a win after four sets. Willaims entered the match ranked 7th in Region I, while Babson was ranked first in Region II.
The fourth set was a back and forth affair, with Babson leading for much of the first half of the set, then Williams leading for most of the second half. The Ephs established a 19-15 lead after back to back service aces from Celia Adams. Although Babson pulled within two at the end, a powerful kill by Celia Adams secured the fourth set 25-22 for the Ephs
Neither team was able to gain much separation for most of the first set, although Williams generally held a slight advantage. With the game tied at 19-19, however, the Ephs used a decisive 6-0 run to take the first set 25-19. Christina Conforti led the way for the Ephs in this set with five kills.
Williams led the second set wire to wire, as they established an early lead and never let up. A strong kill from Marit Hoyem made the score 12-7 in favor of Williams. From there, the Ephs maintained a healthy cushion for the rest of the set, with the clinching point at 25-15 coming off a Babson error.
In the third set, Williams raced out to an early 9-4 lead, later extending it to 16-9 off back to back kills from senior Morgan Persky. However, Babson staged a late comeback to tie the set at 19-19. From there, the set went back and forth, although Babson won the last two points to claim the third set 27-25.
Babson leaders were: junior Lauren Gips with 10 kills, junior Ruby Reich with 24 assists, and sophomore Tatum Stelter with 22 digs. Williams leaders were: Christina Conforti with 15 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 28 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 13 digs.
Reflecting on the successful day of matches, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey commented, "Today was a great day for our team. Everyone really came out and responded well to the lessons we learned last night. I thought we really executed at a high level for both matches and focused from point to point and set to set. I was also really happy with how our team made adjustments when we needed to throughout each set and I think this non-conference tournament really sets us up well for our last regular season conference weekend."
Junior outside hitter/opposite
Celia Adams was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Ephs will be back in action on Friday, October 28th, taking on Colby College in Waterville, ME at 7:00 PM EST.
