The Middlebury College women's volleyball team had a great weekend in Pepin Gym, hosting a NESCAC quad. The Panther women earned a 3-0 mark, picking up key wins over Tufts and Bowdoin (after dropping the first set in each match), while topping Hamilton in their final match of the weekend. Middlebury edged out a hard-fought 3-1 (26-28, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22) win over Tufts on Friday night, before coming away with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-12) victory over Bowdoin on Saturday. The Panthers ended their weekend with a 3-0 (8, 12, 16) win over Hamilton.
Friday's night's win over Tufts was an impressive one, as the Jumbos currently own a 21-2 record on the season. Sophomore Jane Handel (Evanston, Ill.) led the offense with 17 kills, rookie Julia Gibbs (Houston, Texas) added a dozen, while sophomore Caroline Cordle (Atlanta, Ga.) had 10. Junior Lauren Barrett (Medfield, Mass.) dished out 46 assists in the match, while junior Whitney Bean (Waukee, Iowa) had 3.5 blocks. Cordle (20), senior Natalie Dupre (Louisville, Ky.) and Handel (15) were the leaders in the digs category.
Middlebury kept up the pace on Saturday, earning a tight victory over Bowdoin. Handel pounded out 17 kills, while Cordle added 13 as Barrett picked up 48 assists. DuPre again led the team in digs with 21, followed by Handel with 16 and Cordle with 11. Sophomore Elissa Goeke (Chevy Chase, Md.) had three blocks and five block assists in the win.
The Panthers had little trouble with Hamilton to wrap-up the weekend, increasing their winning streak to four matches. The balanced attack saw Gibbs (7), Cordle (6), Handel (6) and Goeke (6) pace the team in kills.
