Tufts Overcomes Upset-Minded Williams in Volleyball Quarterfinals
Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information
BRUNSWICK, Maine - Second-seeded Tufts survived a furious comeback by seventh-seeded Williams to advance 3-2 (25-10, 25-14, 23-25, 25-16, 15-10) in the quarterfinals of the 2011 NESCAC Volleyball Championship on Friday evening at Sargent Gymnasium on the campus of Bowdoin College.
The Jumbos improve to 25-4 this fall and will face the winner of Middlebury and Connecticut College in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Williams finishes its season with a mark of 16-13.
It was the first time in five tries that Tufts has defeated Williams in NESCAC tournament play.
Tufts took control early and seemed poised to take a straight-set win after cruising to convincing 25-10 and 25-14 wins in the opening two sets. But Williams battled back to score the final two points of a 25-23 third set win and grabbed the momentum with a 25-16 victory in set four.
The teams traded points and were tied at nine apiece in the decisive fifth set when the Jumbos used a 6-1 run to close out the victory.
Hayley Hopper had 17 kills, four aces, and six digs while Kelly Brennan had 13 kills and 14 digs for the Jumbos. Cara Spieler notched a dozen kills with 11 digs for Tufts, who received 44 assists from Kendall Lord.
Williams was led by 13 kills from Emily Baratta. Amanda Schott dished out 37 assists while Claire Miller had eight kills and a team-high 21 digs for the Ephs.
