Williams Sweeps Colby to Improve to 6-3 in NESCAC

Waterville, ME - Williams College (13-7, 7-3 NESCAC) took on Colby College (14-8, 4-6 NESCAC). The Ephs came away with the win after three sets. 

The third set was close early on, as the two teams were deadlocked after the first twenty points at 10-10. However, from there the Ephs won eight of the next nine points behind some quality serving from junior Marit Hoyem, who served up two aces in that run. Williams was able to keep a healthy cushion on the Mules for the remainder of the set, and closed out the third set 25-16 after a Colby error on match point.

The Ephs and Mules battled hard in the first set, with neither team gaining much separation early on. That quickly changed when the Ephs used a massive 11-2 run to turn a 7-7 tie into an 18-9 lead. Williams' lead would quickly shrink though, as Colby was able to pull back within three points at 21-18, forcing the Ephs to take their first timeout. After that, Williams was regain their momentum and finished the first set 25-21. It was truly an all-around team effort for Williams in this set, as five different Ephs recorded two kills each on the attacking front. 

The second set was a back-and-forth affair, as the two teams traded leads early on. Although the Ephs trailed midway through the set, they were able to use a five point run to retake a lead that they would never relinquish, as they nursed a two to four point lead all the way to the end of the set, which they claimed 25-22 off a Colby error. Senior Christina Conforti led the way for the Ephs on the attacking front in the second set as she racked up five kills. 

Colby leaders were: first year LJ Grant with 7 kills, first year Sydney Sick with 21 assists, and LJ Grant and sophomore Bella Schumacher with 12 digs each. Williams leaders were: junior Celia Adams with 9 kills, senior Gracie Guidotti with 15 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 17 digs. 

After the strong win, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey commented, "Tonight was a really great consistent effort from our team. I am very proud of the fact that from the start of the match our entire team, both those that were on the court and our whole bench, really had great energy and presence in the gym. Sometimes that can be hard to do after a very long bus trip. Our crew was focused from point to point and really did a strong job of making study adjustments as we went through each set. Overall this was a really good conference win for us tonight and looking forward to the opportunity to compete again tomorrow!"

The Ephs will wrap up regular season play by taking on Bates College in Lewiston, ME at 2:00 PM EST on Saturday, October 29th.