Middletown, CT - No. 6 seed Williams College (16-8, 4-5 NESCAC) traveled to face No. 4 seed Tufts University (14-10, 6-4 NESCAC) in the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament and came away with a decisive 3-0 victory, securing their spot in the finals of the tournament.
The two teams went back and forth in the third set and it was the Ephs who had the early edge, leading 6-4 after two kills each from sophomores
Sydney Eyestone and
Annaliese Fricke. Tufts then turned it around and secured a 9-7 advantage, but Williams proceeded to win seven points in a row to quickly reclaim a sizable lead. The Ephs were able to keep the pressure on the Jumbos, and extended their lead to 20-14 after an ace from
Marit Hoyem. Tufts attempted to slow down Williams with a timeout at that point, but the Ephs were relentless, marching ahead to set up a match point at 24-19 with a kill from first year
Keely Campuzano. It would only take Williams one try to finish the match, as senior
Lauren Kauppila served up an ace to clinch the third set 25-19.
Williams got off to a fast start in the match, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead behind kills from three different Ephs. The Jumbos then embarked on a remarkable run, winning the next nine points in a row to seize an 11-6 lead. That lead wouldn't last long though, as the Ephs won six of the next seven points to tie the score at 12-12 after a kill from
Keely Campuzano. The two teams traded the lead back and forth, but it was the Ephs who surged late, closing the set on a 5-1 streak to claim the first set 25-20.
It was Tufts who controlled much of the action in the second set, and Williams was forced to call a timeout down 13-8. Although the Jumbos advantage grew to 16-9 at one point, the Ephs finally got in a rhythm and won ten of the next eleven points to take a 19-17 lead. Williams fought on to set up four set points at 24-20, and secured the second set 25-22 after a powerful kill from first year
Tatum Baker.
Tufts leaders were: senior Tori Goldin with 9 kills, senior Maddie Yu with 14 assists, and senior Megan Harrison with 12 digs. Williams leaders were:
Keely Campuzano with 14 kills, first year
Morgan Daetz with 19 assists, and junior
Sidra Wohlwend with 20 digs.
Reflecting on the the win, Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey commented, "It really was an incredible match across the board. We knew going in that all four teams left were playing some pretty great volleyball and we would have to bring our best to the court tonight! Really proud of how this team focused and prepared all week and then executed really well tonight. Even when we got pushed by Tufts at various points in each set, I thought our team responded incredibly well and made adjustments. Overall this team competed with an incredible amount of heart and passion, and most importantly played for each other. Looking forward to the opportunity to play tomorrow!"
The Ephs will be back in action in the NESCAC finals against No. 1 seed Wesleyan University at 3:00 pm EST in Middletown, CT on Saturday, November 11th.
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