The Middlebury volleyball team dropped a narrow 3-1 NESCAC decision to Bowdoin (25-20, 26-24, 24-26, 25-19) on Friday in Pepin Gymnasium. The Panthers (11-8, 4-3) return to the court Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. home match against No. 14 Tufts, while the Polar Bears (13-6, 5-2) travel to Amherst tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

Knotted at 20-20 in a back-and-forth opening set which saw neither team lead by more than two points, the Polar Bears tallied the final five points of the set to grab a 1-0 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Ashley Williams ended the run for the visitors.

The second set saw Bowdoin race out to a 6-2 lead, capped by a kill from Cori Gray. The Panthers put together an 8-3 run, grabbing a 10-9 edge on a kill from Maggie Wise. With the lead changing hands numerous times, Middlebury secured its largest advantage of the set 22-18 on a kill by Jane Nelson. Bowdoin rattled off a 5-1 spurt, completed on a kill from Caroline Flaharty to tie the set at 23-23. After trading points, a kill from Gray and a Panther attack error gave Bowdoin a 2-0 lead.

In the tight third set, Middlebury secured an 18-14 advantage on a kill from Corley Doyle. The Polar Bears clawed their way back, tying the score at 24-24 on a Panther hitting error. A kill from Doyle and a service ace by Chellsa Ferdinand ended the set and brought the hosts to within 2-1.

The final set saw Bowdoin move out to leads of 6-2 and 11-6, before Middlebury rattled off a 9-1 run for a 15-12 lead on a kill by Nelson. Bowdoin responded with an 11-1 spurt, including five kills by Gray, for a 23-16 lead and was never threatened in winning the set and the match.

Nelson led the way for the Panthers with a career-high 16 kills and just two errors in 38 attempts for a .368 hitting percentage. Wise chipped in with 10 kills. Emma Walsh tallied 20 assists to go along with 14 digs, while Ferdinand dished out 14. Gigi Alper posted a match-best 27 digs, while Shea Golden ended with a season-best five service aces. Lucy Ambach tallied five block assists at the net for the Panthers.

Gray paced Bowdoin with a match-best 19 kills and posted a .452 hitting percentage, while Flaharty added 15 kills. Ella Haugen concluded the match with 36 assists and 12 digs, while Kate Kiser handed out 19 assists. Emily King recorded 26 digs, while Kiser and Sophia Pahl each had three service aces. Gray had a block solo and five block assists, while Danielle Abrams and Jaida Hodge-Adams both posted five block assists.