Courtesy Tufts Sports Information
MEDFORD, Mass. - The 2009 NESCAC Volleyball Championship match is set for Sunday afternoon and it will feature the top two seeds in the conference. Second-seeded Williams booked their spot on Saturday afternoon with a straight-set win over the Connecticut College Camels in the semi-finals on Saturday. It is the fourth consecutive year that the Ephs have made the final, having won the championship the past two years. Williams, who won by scores of 25-20, 25-18, and 27-25, will face the Tufts Jumbos in the championship game at noon Sunday.
The first set featured spectacular serving efforts from both sides, as Connecticut College got off to a quick start thanks to two aces from junior Marissa DeMais (Hillsdale, N.J.). DeMais would go on to tally three aces while assisting on 37 points for the Camels. Williams answered back immediately with senior Andrea Scioscia (Gibsonia, Pa.) serving two aces of her own, as the Ephs grabbed an 11-6 lead. Scioscia would add another ace later in the set, and Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) added two kills and a block to power Williams to the first-set victory. Rachel Schroff (Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Meg Christman (Wilmington, Del.) each pitched in kills for the Camels in the opening game, and each would finish the match with eight kills. Despite two consecutive aces for Schroff later in the set, the Ephs emerged victorious and grabbed a 1-0 lead in games.
On the legs of two blocks and a kill by Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, Calif.), Williams opened the second set with leads of 6-0 and 9-3. Hitting and rotation errors for the Camels and a phenomenal dig by Williams junior Emily Avis (Palo Alto, Calif.), which led to a kill by Anderson, opened up an eight-point advantage for the Ephs. Avis was a member of the 30-assist club for the Ephs, setting up 33 points in the victory. Much of Williams’ success in the second game came from the dominance of Ballon-Landa and junior Eleanor Levine (Atlanta, Ga.) at the net. Levine assisted on three blocks while Avis helped out on two, as did Ballon-Landa, to go with four kills in the middle frame. Senior Whitney Hitchcock (Penfield, N.Y.) also played well for the Ephs, scoring 10 kills and two blocks in the match. Camels sophomore Ally Terlizzi (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) dug out 20 balls on the afternoon in a losing effort.
In the third set, Connecticut College took an early lead and looked as if they would push Williams to a fourth game. Camels sophomore Amy Newman (Los Angeles, Calif.) had her best game of the afternoon, recording six of her 19 kills, to lead all scorers. Newman also dug out 11 balls and added a block during the match. Williams had an answer in the person of Anderson, who had five of her team leading 14 kills in the deciding set. Anderson and Newman each scored crucial points with kills as the teams exchanged leads down the stretch before Williams finally broke through and solidified a 27-25 victory, finishing the three-set win.
The top ranked Jumbos will look for
redemption after Williams eliminated them in the semifinals of last
year’s tournament. In three regular-season matches, the Ephs
have not beaten Tufts, and have only been able to register a
victory in one set.
Powered by PrestoSports