Ephs Continue Perfect Start to Season, Defeat Hamilton and St. Lawrence

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Clinton, NY - Williams (7-0) took on Hamilton College (4-2) and St. Lawrence University (2-5) in a doubleheader and came away with two wins and their perfect record intact, defeating Hamilton 3-2 and St. Lawrence 3-0.

Williams took on the Hamilton Continentals to begin the day, and ultimately prevailed in a five set thriller. The Ephs controlled much of the early action in the fifth set, and a service ace from Sidra Wohlwend led Williams to a 6-3 advantage. The Continentals slowly whittled at the disparity, however, and tied then immediately took the lead at 9-8 after consecutive attack errors from the Ephs. Soon after, a kill from first year Elodie McGeiver put Hamilton within just two points of the match at 13-11, but some crucial solo blocks from sophomore Sydney Eyestone and senior Marit Hoyem gave the Ephs their first match point at 14-13. Although the Continentals managed to save that match point, and then the next one quickly after, it was third time's the charm for the Ephs as they eventually won the fifth set 17-15 off of a Hamilton error.

Williams came out firing in their first set of the day, winning the first four points behind a service ace from senior Lauren Kauppila and two double blocks from the dynamic duo of first year Keely Campuzano and sophomore Helen Qian. The Ephs only continued to add to their lead, as Marit Hoyem's fourth kill of the set made it 19-12 in favor of Williams. At this point, the first set seemed securely within the grasp of the Ephs, but Hamilton showed remarkable grit and battled back into the set, winning ten of the next twelve points to take their first lead of the match at 22-21. This pressured the Ephs into calling two timeouts in quick succession, but the Continentals could not be slowed down, and clinched the first set 25-22 with a double block from first year Caitlin Allen and senior Kate Carman.

Once again the Ephs got off to a hot start to begin the second set, but this time they were determined to not let the set slip away. Some quality serving from junior Sidra Wohlwend forced Hamilton to call a quick timeout at 6-2, but Williams kept on rolling, as a service ace from senior Celia Adams capped off a four point run for the Ephs to make it 17-9. The Continentals could not repeat their magic from the first set, and Williams was able to secure the second set 25-15 with relative ease thanks to a powerful kill, courtesy of Celia Adams.

Unlike the previous two sets, the third set was a back and forth affair from start to finish. Although Williams trailed for the first portion of the set, they put together seven points in a row to turn a 10-8 deficit into a 15-10 advantage. The Continentals quickly reeled them back in though, and a Williams attack error tied the score back up at 18-18. The two teams traded the lead back and forth over the next few points, and Hamilton had a prime opportunity to go up two sets to one after a kill from Kate Carman made it 25-24 in their favor. The Ephs came up with several clutch plays, however, as a solo block from Helen Qian, sandwiched by kills from Celia Adams and Keely Campuzano helped Williams take the third set 27-25. 

Even though Hamilton jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the fourth set, the Ephs quickly forced their way back in, winning the next four points behind contributions from Keely Campuzano, Marit Hoyem, and Celia Adams to tie the score at 6-6. Neither team was able to gain much separation over the remainder of the set, and Williams led as late as 19-18. The Continentals then proceeded to win four points in a row to retake the lead, and they would not give it up as they won the fourth set 25-23, forcing a deciding fifth set.

Hamilton leaders were: junior Drew Stimson with 17 kills, senior Melissa Morelli with 43 assists, and sophomore Rylee Bergeron with 24 digs. Williams leaders were: Sydney Eyestone with 18 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 52 assists, and Sidra Wohlwend with 22 digs. 

In their second match of the day, the Ephs took on the St. Lawrence Saints. The third set started off well for the Ephs as a kill from junior Sabina Lum made it 7-5 for Williams. However, the Saints won the next five points in a row to create their largest lead of the match at 10-7. The set remained close, as the two teams were tied at 20-20, but the Ephs reasserted themselves late to clinch the third set, and the match, 25-22 behind a service error from the Saints.

The first set featured some back and forth action early on, but Williams took a 13-12 lead with a well-timed kill from Celia Adams and never looked back after that, as Celia Adams went on a masterful service run with four straight aces. The first set concluded 25-15 with another ace from the Ephs, this time from sophomore Catherine Vermeulen, the seventh of the set from Williams. 

Williams built off their momentum from the previous set to establish themselves early in the second set, racing out to an early 12-5 advantage behind a well-rounded attack, featuring kills from six different Ephs. However, the Saints quickly got right back into the match by winning the next seven points to tie the set at 12-12. It wasn't long before Williams rebuilt their advantage though, as Celia Adams embarked on yet another quality service run, acing the Saints four times in a row to stretch the lead to 19-13. From there, the Ephs kept St. Lawrence at bay just long enough to close out the set 25-20 with a double block from Celia Adams and Helen Qian. 

St. Lawrence leaders were: first year Araiza Acum-Santos with 9 kills, first year Vanessa Latam with 19 assists, and senior Vivian Zymeck with 7 digs. Williams leaders were: Marit Hoyem with 8 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 19 assists, and Sidra Wohlwend with 13 digs.

Reflecting on the team's best start to a season since 2013, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey remarked, "It was a very gutsy performance by our team against Hamilton. There were some awesome competitive points throughout the match and it really highlights that every NESCAC game this year is going to be a battle! I thought we stayed incredibly composed yet aggressive, especially in close moments and that was huge for us to pull out the 5th set and win the match. What was great about both matches today is we got to see just how our team has worked to improve in the short amount of time that we've been together this season. Its super exciting to be confident in where we are now and know that we still have a ton of potential for growth! Most importantly the team is excited for the opportunity to keep working together on what's next!"

Williams is back in action in Chandler Gymnasium at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, September 22nd when they host Amherst College in a battle of perennial rivals.