Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Williams College

Home of the Williams College EPHS
Women's Volleyball 1 (9-17-2022)
Angel Santiago
3
Winner Williams Wil 5-2,2-1 NESCAC
2
Amherst AMH 4-3,2-1 NESCAC
Winner
Williams Wil
5-2,2-1 NESCAC
3
Final
2
Amherst AMH
4-3,2-1 NESCAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Williams Wil 14 20 25 36 15 (3)
Amherst AMH 25 25 21 34 9 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Williams Triumphs Over Amherst in Five Sets

Amherst, MA - Williams College (5-2, 2-1 NESCAC) traveled to Amherst College (4-3, 2-1 NESCAC) and pulled off a nail-biting comeback victory, their first win over the Mammoths since 2015. 

The shortened fifth set started out with the Mammoths in control, as they raced out to early leads of 3-0 and 7-3, pressuring the Ephs into taking a timeout at the second deficit. After the timeout, it was all Williams, however, as four kills from junior Celia Adams contributed to the Ephs building a 14-9 lead. Serving for the match, senior Kiley Wallace chose the best possible time to have a service ace, capping off the incredible comeback win for the Ephs. 

In the first set, Amherst jumped out to an early lead, as Williams was forced to call a timeout down 6-2. The timeout allowed the Ephs to gather themselves, and they proceeded to win seven of the next nine points to take the lead behind a powerful kill from senior Anna Tosolini. However, the Mammoths dominated the rest of the set, as they rolled to a 25-14 set win. 

The second set was a back and forth affair early on, as four lead changes and seven ties led to it being 8-8 after sixteen points. After that, two quick blocks involving junior Marit Hoyem kept Williams in the game, although Amherst slowly built a decent-sized lead. From there, the Mammoths were able to keep the Ephs at an arms length away for the rest of the set, and a double block from sophomore Kinsey Cronin and senior Caroline Tilton secured the second set win for Amherst 25-20. 

The third set marked the beginning of a turnaround for the Ephs, however, as they never trailed in the set en route to a 25-21 third set win, keeping Williams in the match for at least one set longer. Junior Celia Adams led the way for the Ephs with six kills in this set, including four in the span of only six points. Although the Mammoths briefly threatened towards the end of the set, Williams was able to hold on and secure the third set. 

The Ephs started the fourth set on a roll with a quality serving run from junior Lauren Kauppila, along with back to back kills from Marit Hoyem, pressuring Amherst into an early timeout, down 4-0. Williams maintained that small cushion for a while, although Amherst was able to take the lead with a six point run. It looked like the Mammoths were going to easily win the fourth set, as they led 23-18. However, the Ephs stormed back and retook the lead off a service ace by Lauren Kauppila. The two teams proceeded to trade points back and forth, with neither able to secure the two point lead necessary to win the set. That is, until Williams surged to a 36-34 set victory with a kill then a service ace from Marit Hoyem, followed by an error from the Mammoths on set point. All told, the Ephs were able to save nine match points in the fourth set, coming up with kills and aces when they needed them.

Amherst leaders were: Caroline Tilton with 18 kills, junior Carly Cooper with 34 assists, and sophomore Lizzie Papalia with 41 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 21 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 37 assists, and sophomore Sidra Wohlwend with 31 digs.

Reflecting on the win, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey said, "It was an outstanding match tonight by both teams, we have to to give credit to Amherst as they battled incredibly well and made for a hard-fought match from start to finish. I think the biggest difference for us between sets 1 and 2 and the rest of the match was that we were able to raise our level of consistency from point to point. We had moments in the first two sets where we were able to string together some good plays, but our execution wasn't as clean as we would have hoped. That changed in sets 3, 4, and 5. We took care of the ball better, our confidence grew, and our consistency improved overall. I'm so incredibly proud of this team for their fight. We saw a lot of heart out on the court and even more so from our amazing bench who provided so much energy and support to our team which was a difference maker as well! Looking forward to another opportunity to compete tomorrow!"

Williams will travel to Providence, RI on Saturday, September 24th, where they will take on Johnson & Wales University at 2:00 PM EST.
Print Friendly Version