CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - First-year
Eve Kaplan compiled a match-high 19 digs and sophomore
Chi Obi posted a team-leading 11 kills for the Williams College women's volleyball team Thursday during a 3-1 setback to Franklin & Marshall in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at MIT.
"This was a tough loss today to a very strong Franklin & Marshall team," said head coach
Christi Kelsey. "We put together a pretty good run in the third and fourth sets and I am incredibly proud that we fought back the way we did. It is always hard to end on a loss, but it is important to reflect on what a special group this team has been and the incredible run the student-athletes put together this year. While their accomplishments on the court says so much about them as athletes, this really has been such a fun group to coach day in and day out. They have genuinely shown up for each other every day and absolutely love being together."
The Ephs (19-8, 7-3 NESCAC) see their season come to an end after qualifying for their third NCAA Tournament in the last four years and also earning the third seed in the NESCAC Tournament. Junior
Morgan Daetz tallied a team-leading 21 assists, to go along with six digs, while sophomore
Lilly Carstens finished with 15 assists and five digs. Sophomore
Maya Thompson (10 kills) and junior
Keely Campuzano (9 kills) were impressive at the net.
The Diplomats (23-6, 9-1 Centennial Conference) were led by Coco Shultz (11 kills, 11 digs), Ceci Connolly (13 kills) and Liah Perez (25 assists, 5 digs).
A kill by Thompson gave Williams an 11-7 advantage in the opening set, but Franklin & Marshall responded with eight straight points and ultimately won the game, 25-19, on a kill by Melissa Benkowitz. The Diplomats raced out to a 22-13 lead in the second set on a kill by Connolly. The Ephs trimmed the deficit down to four at 23-19 and 24-20, but Franklin & Marshall closed out a 25-20 win on a kill by Shultz.
Williams controlled the third set, building a 12-3 cushion on an ace by senior
Kami Israelski. The Ephs maintained a lead of at least seven points for the remainder of the game and closed out at 25-11 triumph. A kill by Benkowitz gave the Diplomats a 19-16 advantage in the fourth set, and then Williams responded with four consecutive points, taking a 20-19 lead. Franklin & Marshall ended the match on a 6-0 run to capture at 25-20 win on a match-clinching kill by Connolly.
"I want to take a moment to say a big thank you to our seniors, including
Annaliese Fricke,
Kami Israelski,
Helen Qian and
Sydney Eyestone," said Kelsey. "This is their third NCAA appearance in four years and that is no small feat in how competitive Division III volleyball is these days. More importantly, they have helped shape and grow our family culture to be even stronger than it has ever been. I am so grateful for them as people and for all they have given to our team these past four years."
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