Courtesy Tufts Sports Information

MEDFORD, Mass. - The Ephs of Williams College advanced to the NCAA Tournament New England Regional finals on Friday night, upending second seeded UMass Boston in four sets. The third seeded Ephs emerged in the semi-finals match with scores of 25-16, 15-25, 25-21, and 25-22.

Williams got contributions all over the floor, as they took an early 8-4 in the first set, and then doubled their advantage again at 14-7. An early ace from senior Andrea Scioscia (Gibsonia, Pa.) and great digs from junior Emily Avis (Palo Alto, Calif.) helped to pace the Ephs. Avis dug eight balls on the match, and set-up 46 points for Williams, while Scioscia added 15 digs overall. UMass Boston senior Kate McWhorter (Bakersfield, Calif.) had several of her 19 kills and 21 digs in the first set, but that was as much offense as the Beacons could muster. Williams was able to side out twice thanks to service errors by UMass Boston, preventing the Beacons from climbing back into the game. Avis added two services aces sandwiched around a time-out, and Williams won the first set convincingly by a 25-16 score.

The Beacons took a 4-0 advantage in the second set, capped by an ace from first year Shannon Thompson (Moorpark, Calif.). Williams went on a four-point run of its own to tie the game, but could not build on the run, and the momentum fell back to UMass Boston. Two kills by Thompson and then her second ace gave the Beacons a 15-9 lead, which they would not relinquish. The middle hitter killed 19 balls in total, while adding 14 digs for UMass Boston. Beacons' first year Alexa Sullivan (South Dennis, MA) added three big kills as the second set wound down, and Williams could only get as close as eight points before dropping the set 25-15 to tie the match.

Setter Casey Hanneman (Denver, Colo.), who assisted on 47 points in the middle for the Beacons, started the third set off with consecutive service aces, but Williams' middle blocker Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, Calif.) was dominant at the net, stuffing attempt after attempt by the Beacons. The junior tallied five blocks on the evening, most of them in a big third set run which saw Williams win 10 out of 12 points. Ballon-Landa also added eight kills in the match, and the Ephs seized control of the third set, emerging with a 23-19 win, despite another ace by Hanneman down the stretch.

Beacons' first year Bethany Rossoll (Colorado Springs, Colo.) continued to show off her incredible digging ability at the beginning of the fourth set. Rossoll had 23 digs to lead all players, with many gems coming to save long points for UMass Boston. The final set, however, belonged to the Ephs, and it belonged to Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) and Whitney Hitchcock (Penfield, N.Y.). Anderson added seven in the final game en her route to leading the team with 17 kills. Hitchcock added nine kills and 11 digs for Williams. Through the middle of the set, UMass Boston continued to threaten to get back into the game, but could not creep closer than a two-point deficit. For the Beacons, Thompson and McWhorter each added multiple kills, but UMass Boston could not keep pace with the firepower of Anderson and Hitchcock. Despite tying the game at 20, late kills by Anderson, Ballon-Landa, and Chelsea Kubal (Atherton, Calif.) sealed the 25-22 victory for the Ephs. Kubal led Williams in digs with 17.

"I think for us volleyball sometimes is a really simple game," Williams coach Christi Kelsey said after the victory. "Serve and pass. When we had our serve receive going, we were able to run our offense and be balanced. I think for us, too, one of our strengths all season has been our defense, and being able to keep us in second, third, four balls in a rally.

"It was a great tournament for UMass Boston," she continued. "They've got a phenomenal group of players and a tremendous coach, so I respect them a lot. I thought that they did a tremendous job so it was a good battle and we're happy to come out on top."

UMass Boston finishes its season with a 30-5 record. Williams, now 23-8, will play in the regional championship match on Saturday at 7 pm against the winner of the Tufts-Wellesley semifinal.