HARTFORD, CONN. — The Williams College volleyball team battled through a hard-fought five-set NESCAC matchup Friday night at Trinity, ultimately falling to the Bantams, 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 23-25, 16-14). Despite facing multiple obstacles throughout the match, the Ephs battled back from a two-set deficit to force a decisive fifth set before narrowly falling in the final points.

Trinity opened the match with a 25-21 victory in the first set before taking the second, 25-18. Williams came out of the break with a momentum shift in the third set, at they battled point-for-point with the Bantams before closing out a 25-22 victory to keep the match alive.

The fourth set proved to be another back-and-forth battle, as Williams again found itself in a tight spot late in the set, eventually taking a 25-23 victory to even the match at two sets apiece. 

The deciding set remained close from the opening serve. Williams and Trinity traded points throughout, with neither team able to create significant separation, but ultimately the Bantams secured the 16-14 victory, to take the match.

Sophia Baer and Clara Massey led the Eph offense with nine kills apiece, while Adalena Rodgers added seven kills. Additionally, Massey finished with seven total blocks, while Rodgers added four blocks, and Elsa Miller and Ellie Simons contributed two blocks a piece.

Eve Kaplan anchored the Williams defense with 27 digs and added three service aces. Morgan Daetz finished with 20 assists and 13 digs, while Emily Cao contributed 10 assists. Williams produced nine service aces, with Kaplan recording three and Ellie Simons adding two.

With the loss, Williams moves to 11-6 overall and 4-3 in NESCAC play.

The Ephs will look to bounce back Saturday when they travel to New London, Conn., to take on Connecticut College at 2 p.m. to close out their weekend on the road.