Ephs gain split on first day of Wash U. Tournament

ST LOUIS, MO – The Williams College volleyball team (15-8) gained one win and one loss in the first day of play in the Washington University Invitational Tournament. The Ephs came out strong in game one with a 3-0 win over Illinois Wesleyan  (25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18) but later faltered against their hosts, Wash. U 0-3 (19-25, 19-25, 14-25).

The Bears of Wash U. entered the match ranked fourth nationally.

Defense was key against Illinois Wesleyan, and the Ephs were able to maintain a solid defense performance. “This was a good win for us,” said head coach Fran Vandermeer. “Our defense was able to adjust early on. We were able to get block touches on most of the hits and we allowed ourselves to run the offense.”

Juniors Chelsea Kubal (27 assists, 13 digs) and Andrea Scioscia (14 digs), sophomores Eleanor Levine (9 kills, 3 blocks, 9 digs), Kate Anderson (9 kills, 7 blocks), and Nicole Ballon-Landa (7 kills) all posted impressive numbers for the Ephs. Freshman Aly McKinnon (18 digs, 3 service aces) also made a valuable contribution.

The second match of the day brought with it the Washington University Bears. “They were one of the strongest teams offensively that we’ve seen in a long time,” said coach, “We did not take care of the ball well enough, although we battled well, too many opportunities slipped away. This game was a learning experience.”

Senior Riki McDermott (6 digs), junior Melissa Pun (6 kills), Anderson (11 kills), Kubal (22 assists), Levine (5 kills, 10 digs), Ballon-Landa (6 kills), Scioscia (7 digs), and McKinnon (7 digs) showed valiant effort.

The second and final day of tournament play concludes tomorrow against Christopher-Newport (12:15PM) and Baldwin Wallace (2:30PM).