Box Score MEDFORD - In a pulse-pounding NESCAC Volleyball Championship final, Williams College earned a 15-13 victory in the decisive fifth set against Tufts to win their ninth conference championship on Sunday at Cousens Gymnasium.
The Ephs improved to 25-4 overall in winning their second straight NESCAC title by set scores of 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13. The Ephs receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Tufts (21-8) will hope for an at large invitation into the NCAA's.
Playing in front of a large Tufts crowd, Williams broke an 8-8 tie in the fifth set with a kill by senior captain Claire Miller and two Tufts errors to lead 11-8. The Ephs served for match point at 14-11, but a pair of errors allowed Tufts to close the gap to 14-13. Williams recorded the final point on a Tufts set error.
Williams had roared out of the gate to a 7-1 lead in the first set. The Jumbos were able to close the margin to 16-14, but the Ephs pulled away to open a 1-0 lead. Miller and junior Catherine Lane both had four kills in the first set to lead Williams.
Set two was tied at 14-14 before Tufts took the lead for good on a kill by sophomore Elizabeth Ahrens. Williams closed within two on two occasions late, but Tufts evened the match with a kill by sophomore Maddie Kuppe to close out the set. Kuppe's five kills and six digs by junior Carolina Berger led Tufts in the frame.
In the third set, Tufts was able to turn a 22-14 deficit into a 23-23 tie. However, Williams scored the final two points on a kill by sophomore Tori Jasuta and a Tufts error to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Jasuta had five kills and eight digs in the set.
Williams would come from behind impressively in the fourth set, rallying from down 18-8 to tie the score at 21-21. However, a pair of kills by senior tri-captain Hayley Hopper and one from Kuppe helped earn the win for Tufts and a tie in the match at 2-2. Four kills in six attempts by senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel paced Tufts in the fourth.
Hopper was a perfect four for four on kill attempts in the fifth set, helping Tufts to an early 7-4 lead. However, an ace by Jasuta and kills from junior Catherine Egan and Miller tied the set at 8-8 leading to the dramatic ending.
Jasuta had 19 kills to lead Williams, who avenged a four-set loss to the Jumbos during the regular season. Miller added 13 kills and senior Raea Rasmussen had 12, while junior Ryan Farley earned 54 assists in five sets. Williams hit .188 for the match, including a best of .333 (16-5-33) in the first set.
Defensively for Williams, Jasuta was also the leader with 21 digs while sophomore libero Caitie Benell finished with 17. Farley and Egan both had two solo blocks with an assist.
Kuppe led the Jumbo offense with 16 kills and four service aces while Hopper added 13 kills and junior Kyra Baum had 42 assists. Tufts hit .178 for the match and .385 (7-2-13) despite the loss in the fifth set.
Berger and Baum had 18 digs apiece to lead the Tufts defense. Ahrens finished with two solo blocks and two assists while Kuhel recorded five block assists.
This was just the second NESCAC final to go five sets and the first since 2007. The champion Ephs, seeded second in the tournament, survived a five-set match against #7 Hamilton on Friday night in the quarterfinals, while #1 seed Tufts had to come from behind 2-1 to defeat #5 Bowdoin in five on Saturday in the semis.
Match Photos by Alonso Nichols / Tufts
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