MEDFORD, Mass. - Junior setter
Morgan Daetz recorded a match-leading 30 assists and junior outside hitter
Keely Campuzano finished with a team-best 15 kills Friday evening, as the Williams College volleyball team went on the road and defeated No. 25-ranked Tufts, 3-2, at Cousens Gymnasium & Tye Court.
"It was a great NESCAC battle tonight," said head coach
Christi Kelsey. "There were so many really competitive points back and forth, so no surprise that it all came down to a fifth set. I am so incredibly proud of our team for how the student-athletes stayed resilient, confident and aggressive throughout the match, but especially in the fifth set. We saw them elevate the way we play together and it showed in the final result."
First-year
Eve Kaplan led all student-athletes with 20 digs, while sophomore
Lilly Carstens recorded 20 assists. The Ephs (12-1, 3-1 NESCAC) saw three people in addition to Campuzano register double-digit kill totals, including sophomore
Chi Obi (12), senior captain
Helen Qian (11) and sophomore
Kate Lane (10). Junior
Tatum Baker and Daetz finished with 12 and 11 digs, respectively, while Lane contributed with eight. Sophomore
Lilly Fox was outstanding defensively, totaling five block assists and two solo blocks.
"We also want to give a huge shoutout to the folks on our bench tonight," said Kelsey. "We had so many contributions on court so far this year and everyone is truly valuable to how we keep improving as a team each week. It says so much about our team right now with the way in which every person regardless of their on-court role for the night cheered and supported their teammates for the entire match. We really do think it is a huge advantage for us in the energy they provide."
Williams has defeated Tufts (11-2, 3-1 NESCAC) in back-to-back matches, as the sixth-seeded Ephs outlasted the third-seeded Jumbos, 3-2, during the 2024 NESCAC Quarterfinals in Medford, Massachusetts. Lola Tortorello (24 assists, 14 digs) and Emma Heckman (15 kills) led the charge for Tufts Friday.
Neither team developed a lead larger than four points in the opening set, as Campuzano was superb in the clutch, delivering with kills that gave the visitors leads of 23-19 and 24-20. Williams took the set, 25-22, on a service error by Tufts.
A kill by Lane gave the Ephs an early 3-1 advantage in the second set, but the Jumbos built a 20-11 lead on a kill by Claire Castor and won the set by a score of 25-18. The third set was tightly contested and neither team built a distance of greater than four points. The set was knotted at 24-24, and then Campuzano tallied a kill and Kaplan posted the game-clinching ace, giving the unit a 26-24 win and a 2-1 set advantage.
There were not many runs in the fourth set, as the gap between the two teams never exceeded three points. A kill by Heckman gave the hosts a 26-24 win and forced a decisive fifth set and a race to 15 points. The Ephs stormed out to a 5-1 lead in the final set on a kill by Lane. Williams kept their foot on the pedal and did not allow Tufts to gain any momentum, as Daetz rose to the occasion with the match-clinching ace in a 15-5 triumph.
The Ephs compete against Bates Saturday (2 p.m.) at Alumni Gym in Lewiston, Maine.
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