Williams Takes Down Trinity in 4 Sets

Hartford, CT - Williams College (8-4, 5-2 NESCAC) faced Trinity College (6-9, 2-4 NESCAC) on the second day of a Connecticut road trip. Williams came away with the win after four sets 

The fourth set featured several lead changes, as the Bantams used a 6-1 run to turn a 9-6 Williams lead into a 12-10 advantage for Trinity. Although Trinity stretched their lead to 17-13, the Ephs used a quick 6-0 run to retake a 19-17 lead. That two point advantage was just enough for the Ephs, as the two teams split the next dozen points, resulting in a 25-23 set victory for the Ephs off a powerful kill from junior Marit Hoyem. 

The first set was close from start to finish, with neither team able to gain much separation from the other, although the Bantams generally held a narrow lead for much of the set. However, after Trinity went on a four point run to build a 15-11 lead, the Ephs were pressured into taking their first timeout of the match. However, the Bantams' momentum continued, as their advantage grew to 21-14. From there, Williams used a strong service run from senior Kiley Wallace to close the deficit to 22-19, forcing a Trinity timeout. The Bantams were then able to regroup and closed out the set 25-20 after an attack error from the Ephs. 

Williams shot out of the gate at the beginning of the second set as they quickly established a 4-0 lead with kills from three different Ephs. Although the Bantams kept the set within reach for quite a while, they were never able to take the lead, as Williams led the set wire to wire. Towards the end, the Ephs went on an 8-1 run as a 17-14 lead quickly turned into a 25-15 set win, punctuated by a double block on set point from Marit Hoyem and senior Morgan Persky. The run also included back to back service aces from junior Lauren Kauppila that bookended a Trinity timeout that did little to slow the Ephs down. 

The third set proceeded in similar fashion to the second, as back-and-forth action in the early going turned into a strong Williams advantage in the second half of the set. Consecutive service aces from Marit Hoyem established a 18-12 Williams lead, and the Bantams were pressured into taking a timeout. Although Trinity pulled back to within four points, the Ephs ended the set on a 6-0 run with quality serving from Kiley Wallace, and senior Christina Conforti recorded her third kill of the run on set point to claim the set 25-15 for Williams.

Trinity leaders were: junior Lola Craig with 12 kills, first year Caroline Howell with 23 assists, and sophomore Julia Torre with 17 digs. Williams leaders were: Marit Hoyem with 13 kills, senior Gracie Guidotti with 22 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 27 digs. 

After the successful win, Ephs head coach Christi Kelsey remarked, "I'm really proud of how our team responded after the first set. We definitely came out of the gates a little slow and to Trinity's credit they played really consistently to start the match. At the start of the second set, we focused on a few specific areas of our game to adjust, in particular taking care of the first ball and also our transition speed. I think the team stepped up and adjusted really well to take control of the set. Overall there were some good takeaways from this weekend. I continue to be impressed with how our team takes in each learning moment and applies them going forward to help our team improve. Looking forward to another opportunity to play next weekend!"

The Ephs will be back in action against Tufts University at home in Chandler Gymnasium on Friday, October 14th, at 7:00 PM EST.