WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -
Morgan Daetz,
Lilly Carstens,
Eve Kaplan and
Kate Lane recorded double-doubles Saturday afternoon, as the third-seeded Williams College women's volleyball team outlasted sixth-seeded Middlebury, 3-1, during the NESCAC Quarterfinals in Chandler Gymnasium.
"I have many great things to say about our team from today," said head coach
Christi Kelsey. "We knew heading into this match that Middlebury was going to be tough and the Panthers certainly played a great match. Our team stayed composed, focused and resilient, no matter what was happening from set to set. We found ourselves in a couple of situations where we were down by a few points and it was great to see our team stay upbeat and locked in."
Daetz (26 assists, 10 digs) and Carstens (21 assists, tied career-high 15 digs, 3 service aces) were phenomenal in orchestrating the offense for the Ephs (19-6, 7-3 NESCAC). Kaplan finished with 26 digs and a personal-record 12 assists, while Lane compiled a career-best 20 digs, to go along with 11 kills. Senior captain
Annaliese Fricke led all competitors with 17 kills, while junior
Keely Campuzano and sophomore
Chi Obi finished with 14 apiece.
"There was a tremendous amount of trust in how we played and it certainly helped our execution as well," said Kelsey. "I want to give a big shoutout to all 17 of our student-athletes as this type of win does not happen without the incredible week we had to prepare in practice with all of student-athletes and Assistant Coach
Adam Gulick."
The Ephs held a 23-22 advantage late in the first set, and then Campuzano clinched the game for the Ephs with back-to-back kills. Williams once again excelled in the clutch during the second set, as the score was tied at 22-22. The hosts scored the final three points of the game, including the set-clinching kill by Fricke.
Middlebury (13-12, 6-4 NESCAC) built a 19-13 advantage in the third, but Williams answered with five consecutive points, trimming the deficit down to one on a kill by Fricke. The Panthers were able to close out a 25-20 victory on a clinching kill by Ava Tuccio. During the fourth set, Williams trailed by scores of 15-11 and 19-17, but the hosts were able to execute down the stretch, clinching a 25-22 victory and the match on a kill by Fricke.
Leading the way for the Panthers were Molly Harrison (13 digs, 11 kills) and Annabella Rando (26 digs).
The Ephs will compete against second-seeded and No. 6-ranked Colby during the NESCAC semifinals Friday (7:30 p.m.) at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
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