CORTLAND, N.Y. — Nine different players had at least one kill in Williams' 3-0 win over Brockport (25-16, 25-17, 25-22) before the Ephs were barely nipped by host Cortland in five sets (22-25, 25-16, 17-25, 30-28, 14-16) on Saturday. Sophomore Adalena Rodgers supplied eight kills in the victory over the Golden Eagles (6-5) while junior Kate Lane had 15 kills to go with 12 digs to lead the Ephs (8-4) in the hard-fought defeat against the Red Dragons (6-5).
Williams began the day with a tuneup against Brockport, hitting .216 as a team while holding its opponent to a .075 attack percentage. But the first game was tight with the score knotted at 10 apiece before the Ephs took control of the set by winning seven of the next eight points with a pair of kills by Rodgers thrown into the mix. The two sides essentially traded points from there until Lane served up three straight aces to finish off the first set.
The Williams attack improved from there, mashing a dozen kills in the second set with only one error for a robust .379 attack percentage to claim the frame. Although the Ephs racked up 13 kills in the clinching set, Brockport was determined to try to push it to four sets. The Golden Eagles held a 15-12 advantage at one point, and the score was tied at 17 before consecutive kills by sophomore Sophia Baer put Williams ahead for good.
Rodgers wasn't far from a double-double with 10 digs to go with her eight putaways. Sophomore libero Eve Kaplan led the squad with 19 digs, while senior Morgan Daetz dished out 16 assists and first-year Emily Cal a dozen more.
The Ephs went right back to work against host Cortland but fell behind as the Red Dragons claimed the first set despite Rodgers continuing to be a force up front with five of Williams' 12 kills in the stanza. Cortland led nearly the entire set, but the Ephs did rally to take a 21-20 edge, only to have the Red Dragons rattle off four straight points and add one more to clinch the first frame.
In the second set, senior Keely Campuzano stepped to the forefront. The outside hitter smashed eight kills in the set (half the team's total) with only one error in 12 attempts (.583) as Williams cruised to knot the sets at one apiece. Cortland returned the favor in the third set, handling the Ephs by a 25-17 count and forcing them into 10 errors.
A long battle ensued in the fourth set with the Red Dragons looking to clinch their victory and Williams staving off defeat. Cortland jumped out to a 16-6 lead to make things look bleak for the Ephs. The deficit was still seven at 23-16 when Williams embarked on a frenetic comeback, winning eight of the next nine points to tie the score at 24. Back and forth the two teams went before a Red Dragon attack error ended the set with the Ephs on top, forcing the decisive fifth set.
The largest lead in that fifth set came when Williams jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Cortland clawed its way back and twice held two-point advantages only to have the Ephs tally back-to-back points on both occasions, leaving the two sides tied at 13 apiece and again at 14. The match came to a close thanks to consecutive blocks by the Red Dragon defense, giving the host the two-point edge it needed to end the match in its favor.
Joining Lane with double-digit kills were Campuzano with 14 — the 45th match of her career with double-digit kills — and Rodgers with 11. Against Daetz (24 assists) and Cao (20) tag-teamed the setting duties, while Kaplan collected a season-high 29 digs. First-year Clara Massey was an imposing presence at the net with two solo blocks and six block assists.
The next four Williams matches will be played at Chandler Gymnasium, giving the Ephs the opportunity to collect the program's 1,000th victory on their home court. First up will be undefeated Colby (9-0, 3-0 NESCAC) on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
