Williamstown, MA - In the first NESCAC matchup of the season, Williams College (4-1, 1-0 NESCAC) defeated Middlebury College (4-2, 0-1 NESCAC) in four sets.
The fourth set found little separation between the two teams, as the game was tied at 5-5, 10-10, and 15-15. Back to back kills from first year Annaliese Frick and a powerful spike from junior Marit Hoyem forced a Middlebury timeout with Williams leading 20-18. The Ephs were able to keep that slight amount of separation on the Panthers, and won the fourth and final set 26-24 thanks to a Middlebury error.
Williams got off to a fast start in the first set, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead behind a strong service run from Marit Hoyem, which forced Middlebury to take a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, however, was a different Middlebury team, as the Panthers won ten of the next twelve points, making the Ephs call a timeout of their own. From there, the set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to build a big lead. In the end, it was Williams who claimed the first set 26-24 off a powerful spike from junior Celia Adams.
To start off the second set, Middlebury got out to an early lead, with Williams pressured into a timeout with the Panthers leading 9-4. This did little to slow their momentum, however, as Middlebury continued onward to build their biggest lead of the set at 19-11. Two quick kills from seniors Morgan Persky and Christina Conforti would help the Ephs regain their footing somewhat, as Williams clawed back into the set and forced a Middlebury timeout at 22-18. From here, though, the Panthers surged to secure the second set 25-19.
The third set saw both teams playing well early on, as a hard kill off an overpass by Marit Hoyem tied the game at 9-9. The Ephs briefly separated for a 17-13 lead, but the Panthers used a timeout to reel them back in for another tie at 18-18. Although Middlebury earned two set points with a lead of 24-22, Williams saved both of them, and eventually persevered 27-25 thanks to an pinpoint service ace by Marit Hoyem.
Middlebury leaders were: juniors Katie Kraczkowsky and Lexi Linafelter with 11 kills each, sophomore Gabbie O'Toole with 33 assists, and junior Kelly Ferrero with 34 digs. Williams leaders were: Marit Hoyem with 19 kills, junior Lauren Kauppila with 29 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 31 digs.
Eph head coach Christi Kelsey reflected on the win, "It's awesome to get our first NESCAC win, to have to open with a team like Middlebury is always tough, obviously they're a great group, good battles back and forth and some really great volleyball on both sides. I'm incredibly proud of our team for staying resilient, especially later in each set, sometimes coming from behind, sometimes just holding on to a little bit of an edge."
The Ephs' next match will be at home in Chandler Gymnasium against Hamilton College at 2:00 PM EST on Saturday, September 17th.
