Waterville, Maine -- The Ephs (13-11, 5-6 NESCAC) played in their last NESCAC match in the NESCAC Tournament Semifinals against Colby College (24-2, 10-0 NESCAC) and unfortunately fell 3-0. In their previous match this season, the Ephs just lost to the Mules 3-2, going down 15-13 in the fifth set.
Colby caught first wind in the first set, persevering for a hasty 7-point run backed by four blocks to force a timeout and cause the Ephs trouble. Two unfortunate attack errors provided another advantage, now leading 11-1. Middle blockers Helen Qian, who got the first kill, and Chi Obi, achieving a clean solo block, put the Ephs slightly on the board 13-6. Then Williams began opening up, finding Annaliese Fricke and Qian to help try and generate the momentum they needed to come back in this set, but a combination of three points by the Mules put down their ambition and forced another timeout 18-8. Right out of the break, Morgan Daetz had a beautiful combination of two plays, getting a kill of her own and following it up by serving a tricky ace to the Mules. Colby kept in line with their course: getting three more points, but then shortly stumbling in the face of two kills and an ace by Kami Israelski, however ultimately finishing the set after four more quick points, 25-14.
During the next set, the Ephs played a more aggressive game. The opening of the set saw the two teams grappling for an advantage: notably for the Ephs, Keely Campuzano got the first kill and followed up shortly with an ace, and then a few errors on both sides contributed to the score check 8-8. An attack error by the Mules was quickly exploited by the Ephs who found their first lead in the set, but Colby quickly gained it back. Helen Qian achieved a kill and followed up just narrowly missing a block, and the score became 14-12. Williams created strong momentum with a 3-point run to retake the lead and push the Mules to call a nervous timeout, and another error made their lead 16-14. Colby fought back to push through their opponent's score, and while a block by Morgan Daetz and Sabina Lum tried to keep their advantage, the Mules were able to receive 3 points following two attack errors to make the score 19-17 and force a Williams timeout. Two more points totaled them a 5-point run, and as the Ephs were behind two points 21-19, four attacking errors led Colby to collect their second set 25-19.
Three attack errors led Colby to an initial lead, but prompted a four point run, in which Helen Qian achieved a block and a kill to coerce an early timeout at 6-4. Post-timeout, both teams went point-for-point until Colby gained a slight edge and tied the set at 10. A three point run granted Colby their first strong momentum, forcing an Eph timeout at 15-12. The Mules kept playing strong, but kept Williams close due to their errors. Kate Lane and Tatum Baker tried to keep the Ephs in the game, amidst an unlucky service error, but the Mules took their opportunity to keep attacking with their pin hitters, achieving a 5-point lead 22-17. Keely Campuzano began an initiative for the Ephs: after her kill, Chi Obi hit a quick ball, followed by another kill for her, and one more by Campuzano. This prompted a worried timeout by Colby, still leading 23-21, though with success, the Mules were able to finish the match with a block and a kill 25-21.
Eph head coach Christi Kelsey provided a thoughtful perspective on the match and overview of the season as a whole. "Tonight was a tough one for sure. We just never really found any sort of rhythm as a team and struggled to get back on track after the first set. Credit to Colby as they played a pretty steady match overall and while we had some bright spots at times, it just wasn't anything consistent we could hang on to in order to compete.
"While tonight was tough, we are so proud of this entire team for playing some of our best volleyball here toward the end of the season. These 16 women have just been an amazing crew to work with day in and day out this year and there is such a bright future ahead for this team. We also would like to recognize our 3 amazing seniors, Sidra, Dylan and Sabina. While their careers come to a close with this match, the tremendous impact that they have collectively had on our volleyball family these past four years is truly awesome. What an amazing group of humans these three are that have served as incredible role models both on and off the court with their care, compassion and selflessness for their teammates and this program! We can't express enough gratitude for all they have done and are looking forward to seeing the next chapter in their lives post volleyball!"
