Ephs finish second at Hall of Fame Tourney

NORTHHAMPTON, MA- The Williams College women’s volleyball team advanced to the championship of the Hall of Fame tournament Saturday afternoon, before falling to champion MIT 3-0 (30-26, 30-25, 30-28).  With a 3-2 (26-30, 30-25, 23-30, 30-28, 15-11) win over Brandeis earlier in the day, head coach Fran Vandermeer tied Pat Manning for the most career wins at Williams (218).

The two matches were rematches of earlier William’s defeats.  While the Ephs were able to avenge an earlier loss to Brandeis, they couldn’t overcome a strong MIT squad in the championship.  MIT defeated the Ephs on September 22nd in the semifinals of the MIT Invitational, 3-2.

In the Brandeis match, the Ephs found themselves down 2-1 in the match, and 20-12 in the fourth game before rallying to win.  In the comeback, sophomore Melissa Pun, and first years Emily Avis and Nicole Ballon-Landa led the Ephs.  Pun posted 19 kills and 17 digs, while Avis tallied 40 assists and 13 assists and Ballon-Landa recorded 7 kills, 3 service aces, and 5 blocks. 

Sophomore Chelsea Kubal continued to post well balanced attacks on both offense and defense, with 10 kills and an impressive 26 digs.  Also contributing were junior captain Riki McDermott (11 digs), sophomores Whitney Hitchcock (9 kills, 3 blocks) and Alicia Cahlan (6 kills), and first year Eleanor Levine (4 kills).

“We needed a five-game win,” said Vandermeer.  “This was a hard fought, come-from-behind win and it will help us build our confidence down the stretch.”

Against MIT, the Ephs received contributions from Avis (33 assists, 26 digs), Pun (11 kills, 11 digs), Kubal (16 digs, 6 kills), Cahlan (5 kills), McDermott (13 digs), Hitchcock (4 kills), Ballon-Landa (7 kills, 4 blocks), and sophomore Andrea Scioscia (18 digs).

“This was a well played championship match between two strong defensive teams,” said Vandermeer.  “I’m proud of how we fought and we just fell short to a very consistent MIT team.”  

Despite the loss in the championship, the Ephs claimed second place in a field of 16 teams and had two players named to the all-tournament team.  Nicole Ballon-Landa garnered her first all-tournament accolades of her career, while Melissa Pun was named to an all-tournament team for the third time this season (MIT Invitational, Nazareth Invitational).

The Ephs now finish the regular season with four straight conference matches.  This tough stretch begins Wednesday October 24 with a home match against Middlebury at 7 PM.