Williams Defeats Bates College to Improve to 5-1 in NESCAC

Lewiston, ME – Williams College (11-1, 5-1 NESCAC) took on Bates College (5-10, 1-6 NESCAC) for the final match of the road trip. It took 4 sets to decide the winner, and Williams emerged victorious.

Williams was confident heading into the fourth

set, and although Bates claimed an early lead behind strong serving from senior Sydney Phillips, the Ephs were not rattled and refocused after a kill from sophomore Marit Hoyem. This sent senior Alicia Blanco back to the service line where her excellent service placement propelled the 6-0 run and gave Williams the 10-7 lead. An error gave Bates the sideout, but the Ephs responded with a double block from Marit Hoyem and sophomore Lauren Kauppila to reverse the momentum right back. First year Sidra Wohlwend proceeded to the service line, and behind her arm and a robust offensive front, the Ephs went on a 10-0 run, pushing their lead to 20-8. Although Bates first year Julia Neumann powered down a kill in a late set attempt to give the Bobcats some energy, this was to no avail, and Williams cruised to the victory, 25-14.

The first set of the match was a thriller with 52 total points scored. This set was evenly matched and saw 12 total ties. Two kills from Williams senior Lydia Kurtz and a kill from Marit Hoyem gave the Ephs the lead, 11-7. Although Williams held the early momentum, they were unable to maintain it as Bates first year Alyssa Lowther led the Bobcats charge throughout the middle of the match, eventually pushing the Bates lead to 21-18. However, Williams was determined to remain in the set and a service ace from first-year Sidra Wohlwend tied the set at 22-22. Williams and Bates traded points back and forth, but a kill from Eph Lydia Kurtz followed up by a double block from senior Olivia Hindy and first year Tazmin Appiah gave the Ephs the 25-24 lead. After a Williams error, Bates tied the set at 25-25. However, Eph Olivia Hindy responded with a decisive kill, and Williams surged to the victory, 27-25.

In the second set, Bates opened with an early run, led with two aces and strong serving from first year Kate Hansen which helped push the lead to 11-1. This stark deficit proved to be difficult for Williams. Although Eph Marit Hoyem recorded five kills throughout the set, the largest Williams run was three points. Down the stretch, Eph Lydia Kurtz powered down three kills, but ultimately, the Bates lead was too much for Williams to overcome. The Bobcats claimed the second set 25-21.

With the match tied at a set apiece, the third set was crucial for determining match energy, and Williams went on a 10-0 run kickstarted by a kill from sophomore Celia Adams. Alicia Blanco's strong serving was again crucial to the run as she forced Bates out of system and set Williams up for powerful plays. Williams pushed their lead to 16-7, but Bates attempted to rally behind a service ace from Kate Hansen and dynamic play from junior Emma Eide. However, the Williams lead was insurmountable. The Ephs posted their best set hitting percentage of the day at .448 and took the third set, 25-12.

Bates leaders were: Alyssa Lowther with 14 kills, Emma Eide with 24 assists, and Kate Hansen with 19 digs. Williams leaders were: Lydia Kurtz with 19 kills, Lauren Kauppila with 44 assists, and Allison Frison with 18 digs. Lauren Kauppila collected a double-double with her 44 assists and 12 digs.

Eph head coach Christi Kelsey summarized the weekend's play, "It was good to get our 5^th NESCAC win today against Bates, and it was really great to see our team navigate some tough stretches of play both mentally and physically. Bates made us work really hard to earn each point, and I am proud with how our team battled through it to find different ways to win each set. We had different people step at different times when needed, and our bench was absolutely awesome in providing energy and support to our players on the court."

Williams returns to action on Friday, October 15^th when they will take on Wesleyan University at 8 PM EST in Chandler Gymnasium.