COLLEGE
VOLLEYBALL FINAL SCORE
NESCAC Championship Final
Williams 3, Tufts 0 (25-19, 29-27, 32-30)
At Medford, MA
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Match
Statistics
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Tufts captains Dena Feiger (left) and Brogie Helgeson receive the conference runner-up plaque from Tufts Senior
Woman Administrator Branwen Smith-King
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MEDFORD -- Williams College won its third consecutive NESCAC
volleyball title on Sunday afternoon, defeating Tufts University in
straight sets on the Jumbos' home court. The Ephs have now
won seven of the last nine conference championships, as the
second-seed defeated #1 seed Tufts 25-19, 29-27, and 32-30 in three
closely contested games.
Williams, who played a fairly mistake-free afternoon, opened up
with a 15-10 lead thanks to aces from seniors Andrea Scioscia
(Gibsonia, PA) and captain Chelsea Kubal (Atherton, CA). Junior
Kate Anderson (Berlin, MA) added a big block and an early kill to
pace the Ephs. Anderson blocked four balls and led the Ephs with 18
kills in the championship match. The Jumbos pulled to within two
points at 18-16, but could not make up any more ground than that.
Despite several good digs by Tufts junior Nancy Shrodes
(Manhattan Beach, CA), the visitors went on to grabb an
early lead.
The home team tried to seize control of the second set with the
help of Caitlin Updike (Manhattan Beach, CA). The
junior outside hitter contributed three kills and two consecutive
aces as the Jumbos held a slim early advantage. Behind the blocking
prowess of Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, CA), the Ephs powered
back and tied the game at 17 and then again at 24. Ballon-Landa
helped on three of her six blocks in the second game, none bigger
than the one which gave the Ephs a 28-27 lead. The junior middle
blocker also added 10 kills on the afternoon. Two great digs by
senior Whitney Hitchcock (Penfield, NY) set up Ballon-Landa for a
kill which sealed a 29-27 victory and put the Ephs up two sets to
zero. Tufts senior Brogie Helgeson (Santa Cruz,
CA) dug 11 balls in the match, and added four of her seven
kills in the second set, but Kubal had answers to keep Williams in
the game. Kubal notched 10 kills and also dug out 18 balls for
Williams on the afternoon. Sophomore Aly McKinnon (Potola Valley,
CA) added two aces in the second-set victory for the Ephs.
Tufts got off on the right foot in the third game, snatching a
five-point advantage with early kills from junior Dawson Joyce-Mendive (Minden, NV). She killed seven balls in the
third set, en route to a 23-kill day. Updike added seven kills in
the final game as well, slamming 17 of them in the match. The
Jumbos got several great digs from first year Natalie Bruck
(Iverness, IL), who came off the bench to dig 12 balls for
Tufts, and the home-team was a point away from getting back into
the match with a 24-21 lead. Late in the third set, however,
Williams' Anderson came alive, and five late kills for the
junior allowed the Ephs to tie the game at 24. Joyce-Mendive and
Anderson continued to battle for their teams, but Tufts was unable
to finish off the game despite gaining the advantage point five
times in a row. Williams finally got their necks in front and were
able to capitalize on a Tufts serving error by closing the door on
a 32-30 victory.
Williams junior Eleanor Levine (Atlanta, GA) and Ballon-Landa
each added multiple kills in the third set. Williams'
efficiency ticked through junior setter Emily Avis (Palo Alto, CA),
who logged 46 assists in the championship victory. Tufts setter
Dena Feiger (Long Grove, IL) hit exactly the
50-assist plateau, and libero Audrey Kuan (Los Altos,
CA) led the Jumbos with 27 digs in defeat.
The Ephs (21-8), nine-time NESCAC champs overall, will receive
an automatic bid to next weekend's NCAA regional, which Tufts
will host. The Jumbos (28-4) are expected to receive an at-large
bid to the tournament.
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