Women's Volleyball Goes 1-1 in Day 2 of NE Challenge

Williamstown, MA - Williams (13-8) faced Babson College (20-3) and No. 25 Springfield College (21-3) and split the day's results, defeating Babson 3-1 and falling to Springfield 3-2.

In their first match of the day, Williams earned a win over the Babson Beavers in four sets. The Ephs dominated the final set from start to finish, jumping out to an early 10-2 lead after a double block from senior Caroline Tosolini and sophomore Sydney Eyestone. Although Babson put together a 7-1 streak to pull within three at one point, the Ephs got back on track and won eight of the last nine points to secure the fourth set 25-15 with an ace from senior Celia Adams.

The two teams were evenly matched to begin the first set, but the Ephs caught fire with a 10-1 run that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 14-6 advantage in the blink of an eye. The Beavers never again got within five points, and the Ephs claimed the first set 25-14 after a double block from Caroline Tosolini and Celia Adams. 

The Ephs once again got off to a hot start in the second set, jumping out to an early 12-3 lead behind three kills in four points from Sydney Eyestone. Although Babson won four in a row to narrow the gap somewhat, Williams pushed onward and won the second set 25-14 after back to back powerful kills from first year Keely Campuzano. 

A fast start in the third set for the Ephs would not last this time, as an 8-3 advantage quickly turned into a 13-10 deficit behind some inspired play from the Beavers. The Ephs wouldn't back down though, and retook the lead at 20-19 after winning five out of six points. Babson would ultimately just beat Williams to the end, and claimed the third set 25-23.

Babson leaders were: senior Erin Gray with 18 kills, first year Zoe Ackerman with 22 assists, and sophomore Roz Cabuena with 22 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 17 kills, senior Lauren Kauppila with 29 assists, and junior Sidra Wohlwend with 21 digs.

Williams came up just short in their second match of the day, falling to the Springfield Pride in five sets. The Ephs established a 6-3 advantage early in the fifth set, but the Pride proceeded to win six out of the next seven points to set up a 9-7 lead of their own. From there, Springfield continued onward to a 14-10 advantage, and although the Ephs saved two match points, the third time was the charm for the Pride as they secured the fifth set 15-12.

The first set started out almost perfectly even, as there were already nine ties between the two teams by the time the score hit 10-10. Senior Marit Hoyem got Williams rolling with a powerful kill from the middle and the Ephs never looked back from there, winning 14 of the last 18 points to secure the first set 25-14. Williams was nearly unstoppable on offense in the set, recording a .414 hitting percentage with 15 kills to only 3 errors.

The second set featured very similar action to the first, as the Ephs and Pride were once again deadlocked at 10-10. In a case of deja vu, it was who else but Marit Hoyem to put the Ephs in front 11-10, a lead that they would not relinquish as they rolled to a 25-17 second set victory. Senior duo Celia Adams and Marit Hoyem led the way for the Ephs as they combined for 11 kills in the set, more than the entire Springfield team.

The Ephs held a slim advantage for much of early going in the third set, but a 9-8 lead quickly turned into a 14-9 deficit as the Pride recorded six points in a row. Although Williams would battle back and eventually tie the score at 14-14 after a service ace from Lauren Kauppila, the rest of the set was dominated by Springfield as they surged to a 25-17 third set win.

Williams quickly established themselves in the fourth set with back to back aces from Lauren Kauppila, but the action quickly evened out as neither team was able to gain much separation. Keely Campuzano gave the Ephs a 11-10 lead with a powerful kill from the right side, though the two teams continued to trade punches back and forth. Springfield held a 23-21 lead late, but Williams won the next three points in a row to set up a match point up 24-23. Nevertheless, it was the Pride that emerged victorious from an extended fourth set 31-29, forcing a deciding fifth set between the two teams. 

Springfield leaders were: junior Riley Donahue with 23 kills, first year Tori Colosimo with 43 assists, and graduate student Ally Townsend with 23 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 22 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 32 assists, and Sidra Wohlwend with 18 digs.

Reflecting on the team's results from the day, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey commented, "I thought the team bounce back really well against Babson to start the day. We focused on a few key skill adjustments, and the team stepped up in their overall execution of those skills. I also was proud of how incredibly confident and focused we were from start to finish in that match. As for Springfield, the first two sets we were really locked in and stayed pretty consistent in our execution, both on the offensive side of the ball and defensively too from point-to-point. To Springfield's credit they battled back and put pressure on us in the third, and we certainly had some opportunities in the fourth set as well to capitalize. We just didn't execute as consistently as we could have. I really think we found out a lot about ourselves over the month of October and hopefully we can stay in a mentally and physically strong place as we head toward the end of the regular season. If we can put all these pieces together, I think we have an incredibly strong team of 17 and we put ourselves in the best possible position to compete next weekend. I 100% believe this group will be ready!"

Williams is back in action in Chandler Gymnasium at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, October 27th when they host Colby College in their Senior Day celebration.