Courtesy Tufts Sports Information

Box Score

MEDFORD, Mass. – Fourth seed Williams upset top seed Tufts in a thrilling five-set victory, 3-2 (25-22, 26-28, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13), in the semifinal round of the 2008 NESCAC Volleyball Championship on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gymnasium. The defending NESCAC champion Ephs advance to take on Amherst, a 3-1 winner over Wesleyan, on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

Williams controlled the flow for the majority of the first set, as once they gained a 12-11 lead they never allowed Tufts to jump back ahead. There were seven ties in the set, and the biggest lead for either team was only a three-point lead held by the Ephs. The Jumbos' only advantages were 1-0, 5-4 and 6-5. Tufts pulled to within one at 21-20, but Williams used a 4-2 finish to take the first set, 25-22.

It looked as if the Ephs would take a 2-0 lead in the second set as they sprinted ahead to a 15-8 lead. At 24-19, Tufts started their comeback, as Williams failed to convert on five set points. Williams had two more set points at 25-24 and 26-25, but Tufts yet again fought back and leap-frogged the Ephs for a 27-26 lead and eventually the 28-26 second set win. The Jumbos only prior lead of the set was at 1-0.

The third set was nip-and-tuck throughout, as it saw 10 ties, including at 16, 17, 18 and 19 apiece. At that point, Williams finished with a 6-1 run for the 25-20 third-set victory. They now led 2-1. The fourth set was almost a mirror image of the third set, but this time it fell in favor of the Jumbos. There were seven ties during the set including 16 and 17 apiece. From there, Tufts tallied eight of the final 11 points for the 25-20 fourth-set win which forced the decisive fifth set.

Williams jumped out early in the final set at 3-0, and they held a set-high lead of five points at 9-4. The Jumbos came back to force ties at 11-11 and 12-12, but once the Ephs took a 13-12 advantage, they never looked back. Williams closed out the match with a 15-13 final-set victory, and they cemented their status in the championship round of the 2008 NESCAC Volleyball Tournament.

Sophomore Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) led the Ephs with 24 kills and eight digs, while junior Chelsea Kubal (Atherton, Calif. notched a team-high three service aces to go along with 20 digs. Williams' digs leader was junior Melissa Pun (San Francisco, Calif.) with 21 and sophomore Emily Avis (Palo Alto, Calif.) tallied 54 assists.

The Jumbos were paced by the 24 kills of sophomore Dawson Joyce-Mendive (Minden, Nev). Junior setter Dena Feiger (Long Grove, Ill.) had a team-high 54 assists and she also added nine digs. Senior Stacy Filocco (Olney, Md.) was the digs leader with 23 and senior Maya Ripecky (Chicago, Ill.) added 20 digs and one service ace.

The Ephs now stand at 24-12 for the year. With the defeat, the Jumbos only suffered their third loss of the season, and stand at an impressive 28-3.