Poughkeepsie, NY -- Volleyball travelled to Vassar on Wednesday night for a mid week match, looking to build on their impressive showing at the Endicott Invitational. Facing off against a much improved Vassar team that had recently knocked off New York regional power Stevens, the Ephs would drop a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 26-24) decision to the Brewers.
The Ephs played extremely well at times, but struggled for consistency against their opponents in crucial stages of the match. Vassar, meanwhile, played consistent and determined volleyball in taking the impressive win, their first against Williams since 2002.
Leading the way for the Ephs was rookie outside hitter Claire Miller, who had 14 kills versus only 3 errors for a hitting plus/minus of +11. Miller would lead both teams in kills while hitting .256 for the match. Classmate Callie Kiernan would lead the team in hitting percentage at .615, slamming home 8 kills with no errors in 13 attempts. Sophomore Emily Baratta would tie Kiernan for second on the team with 8 kills.
First year setter Amanda Schott once again did a good job distributing the ball to the Williams offense, with 34 assists in the match. Five Williams hitters had double digit attempts in the match as the Ephs tried to find a way around the solid blocking of Vassar. Defensively the Ephs were led senior Libero Aly McKinnon who had 15 digs. Junior Jen Borderud had possibly the best performance for Williams coming off the bench to contribute 11 digs, easily a career high. First year Raea Rasmussen tied with Kiernan for the team lead in blocks with 3 to go with her 9 digs, while Miller chipped in with an additional 8.
The Ephs now have a quick turnaround with only one day of practice before they head to Connecticut College this weekend for their first two conference matches against the host Camels and archrival Tufts.
