Williams Takes Down Stevenson In First Round of NCAA Tournament

Middletown, CT - Williams College (15-8) took on Stevenson University (25-6) in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Ephs came away with a hard-fought win after four sets, meaning they will advance to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2014.

In the fourth set, Stevenson got out to an early 10-6 lead, but that advantage would quickly be erased after the Ephs won an astounding eleven points in a row to claim a 17-10 advantage. Although the Mustangs took advantage of a Williams error to stop the run, the Ephs' lead ended up being too large for Stevenson to overcome, as a smart kill from first year Helen Qian secured the fourth set 25-18 for Williams.

The first set was back and forth from beginning to end, with both teams trading the lead as neither was able to gain a decisive advantage. Although the Ephs fell behind at 10-7, they quickly tied the set back up at 10-10 after a kill from senior Anna Tosolini and consecutive service aces from junior Lauren Kauppila. The set continued to be tight near the finish, as Williams took a timeout after falling behind 21-22. The Ephs used that timeout to great effect, however, and won the next four points to take the set 25-22 behind some great hitting from junior Celia Adams, who recorded her fifth and sixth kill of the set. 

Williams got off to a fast 4-0 start in the second set, as senior Christina Conforti contributed two aces and a kill to the Ephs' cause. However, the Mustangs quickly reeled them back in, and the set was tied at 6-6 after a Williams attack error. Although the Ephs took a 10-9 lead after another kill from Christina Conforti, it was the last lead they would hold for quite a while, as Stevenson was able to maintain a small but decisive lead almost until the end of the set. After the Ephs fell behind 22-16, they proceeded to win nine of the next eleven points to retake the lead at 25-24, setting up a set point. Williams was unable to capitalize, however, and eventually lost the set 28-26 after a Stevenson service ace. 



The Ephs got out to another good start in the third set as establish an early 9-4 advantage. That lead quickly evaporated though, as the Mustangs won six points in a row to take a 10-9 lead, forcing a Williams timeout. Out of the timeout the Ephs were able to retake the momentum, and claimed a 20-14 advantage after back to back powerful kills from Celia Adams. Although Stevenson made a late effort to narrow the deficit, the Ephs' dominant offense was too much in the end, as Williams won the third set 25-20 with a tremendous kill from Christina Conforti. 

Stevenson leaders were: senior Shannon Baily with 14 kills, sophomore Makala Thompson with 21 assists, and senior Kayla Vaeth with 20 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 21 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 24 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 26 digs. 

Reflecting after the win, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey remarked, "Tonight was truly a big team effort. I am so proud of this group for everything they gave to each today! Those that were on the court played with such focus and determination to win. And for those folks that were on the sidelines, they brought such tremendous energy and support to our team that it really did feel like one big collective family effort tonight. We are looking forward to the opportunity to continue to play tomorrow!"

The Ephs will be back in action on Friday, November 11th as they take on the winner of Wesleyan vs. Eastern Nazarene at 7:00 PM EST.