Women's Volleyball Defeated by Jumbos 3-2

Medford, MA - Williams College (10-6, 3-5 NESCAC) traveled to face Tufts University (8-7, 3-4 NESCAC) but came up short in a 3-2 loss to the Jumbos.

Building off their momentum from the end of the fourth set, the Jumbos raced out to an early 7-2 lead. Three quick kills from senior Marit Hoyem helped the Ephs trim the deficit to one, but the Ephs' momentum fizzled out as the Jumbos won four of the last five points to clinch the fifth set 15-10.

The first set was a back and forth affair throughout its entirety. Williams led for much of the early going, and a powerful kill from Sydney Eyestone made it 9-7 in favor of the Ephs. The Jumbos then proceeded to take a 15-11 lead on a run capped off by four straight kills from senior Tori Goldin. That lead did not last long, however, as Williams fought their way back and seized a 19-17 advantage behind back to back aces from senior Lauren Kauppila. The Ephs would not relinquish this lead, and secured the first set 25-21 with a kill from senior Celia Adams. 

Determined to even the score after losing the first set, Tufts jumped out to an early 14-5 lead and never looked back from there. First year Keely Campuzano came up with a pair of big kills in the middle of the set, but the Ephs were never quite able to build enough momentum to close the gap. A Williams service error ended the second set 25-17 in favor of the Jumbos.

In the third set, Tufts once again got off to a fast start but this time the Ephs were able to reel the Jumbos back in. An early 15-8 lead for Tufts quickly evaporated as Williams used a 6-0 run to pull within one, then a 5-0 run a few points later to establish a 20-18 advantage. The Ephs continued on ahead to 24-20, but could not close several set point opportunities until a kill from Keely Campuzano finally secured the third set 25-23 for Williams.

The fourth set saw the Ephs jump out to an early 5-0 advantage behind a cascade of Tufts errors, but the Jumbos quickly erased the deficit and took a 10-8 lead heading into a Williams timeout. The Ephs retook the lead and seemed to be in control of the set with late leads of 23-19 and 24-22, but Tufts made a late surge and claimed the fourth set 26-24 to force a deciding fifth set.

Tufts leaders were: Tori Goldin with 22 kills, senior Maddie Yu with 38 assists, and senior Megan Harrison with 28 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 17 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 33 assists, and junior Sidra Wohlwend with 29 digs. 

Reflecting on the close loss to their NESCAC opponent, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey commented, "This was another tough one tonight. Our team did a lot of really great things, but could not close it out at the end. I am proud of how we continue to see some real progress in how our team executes at times, we just have to keep working at how we close out matches when we have the edge. Looking forward to another opportunity to compete tomorrow!"

The Ephs will be back in action in Beverly, MA as they take on Endicott College in a non-conference battle on Saturday, October 14th at 1:00 PM EST.