Brunswick, ME - Coming off a tough loss the night before, Williams College (9-3, 3-2 NESCAC) aimed to get back on track on the road against Bowdoin College (7-4, 2-3 NESCAC) but ultimately came up short, losing 3-1 to the Polar Bears.
The fourth set featured some inspired runs from both teams, as Bowdoin used a nine point streak to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 12-5 lead. The Ephs quickly pulled back within two points, however, as a solo block from sophomore
Sydney Eyestone made it 16-14. From there, the Polar Bears surged back ahead and won six of the last eight points to secure the fourth set 25-18.
Williams started off well in the first set, winning four of the first six points to set up an early advantage. The Polar Bears roared back from that early deficit, however, and won the next ten points to take a commanding lead. Although the Ephs finally stopped the run with a strong kill from first year
Keely Campuzano, they were never able to recover from the early gut punch as Bowdoin rolled to a 25-16 first set victory.Â
The second set was a back and forth affair as neither team was able to gain much separation from the other. Although the Ephs recovered from an early 9-7 disadvantage to build a 14-10 lead heading into a Bowdoin timeout, the Polar Bears proved a tough out as they kept the Williams lead from growing any further. Williams seemed on the verge of tying the match at one set apiece when a
Marit Hoyem kill made it 23-19, Bowdoin battled back and won the next four points in a row to tie the score at 23-23. Although a service error set up the Ephs with a set point, Williams gave it right back with a service error of their own. From there though, the Ephs were rescued by a pair of kills from senior stalwarts
Marit Hoyem and
Celia Adams, clinching the second set 26-24 for Williams.
Continuing their momentum from the previous set, the Ephs dominated the first half of the set as they raced out to a 16-8 advantage behind four kills from
Sydney Eyestone. From there, the Polar Bears slowly but surely worked their way back into the set, although Williams came up with a late surge to set up four set points at 24-20. The Ephs were unable to capitalize on any, however, and first year Skye LaMendola contributed four kills in a six point stretch to help the Polar Bears steal the third set from the Ephs 26-24.
Bowdoin leaders were: Skye LaMendola with 23 kills, graduate Ella Haugen with 48 assists, and junior Maya White with 30 digs. Williams leaders were:
Marit Hoyem with 14 kills, senior
Lauren Kauppila with 34 assists, and junior
Sidra Wohlwend with 32 digs.
Reflecting on the tough loss, Eph head coach
Christi Kelsey commented, "Definitely another tough one today. We played more consistently than last night, but got knocked off our game a little bit at the end of the third set and couldn't quite recover. Lots of learning moments from this weekend, and we will look forward to getting back in the gym together on Monday!"
Williams will return home to face Vassar College in a non-conference clash on Wednesday, October 4th at 7:00 PM EST in Chandler Gymnasium.
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