The Middlebury volleyball team played a home match for the first time in three weeks, earning a 3-0 victory over Skidmore (25-17, 25-14, 25-15) on Wednesday in Pepin Gymnasium. The Panthers (9-4) return to action at home Friday with a 7:00 p.m. match against 24th-ranked Wesleyan, while the Thoroughbreds (10-8) entertain Clarkson at the same time.

Ahead 9-8 in the opening set, Middlebury rattled off an 11-2 run for a 20-10 lead. The Thoroughbreds cut it to 22-14 on a Panther service error, but the hosts claimed the initial set 25-17 on a kill from Jaime Donnelly.

Clinging to a 10-8 edge in set number two, Middlebury reeled off a 9-1 spurt, taking a 19-8 lead on a Skidmore attack error. The Panthers were never challenged in the set, claiming a 2-0 lead on a kill from Jane Nelson.

Up 8-7 in the final set, the hosts put together a quick 7-0 run for a 15-7 lead on a Thoroughbred attack error. Skidmore cut the deficit to 16-11 on a kill by Alex Estey, but the Panthers secured the ensuing three points and cruised to take the set and the match.

Corley Doyle paced the balanced Middlebury offense with eight kills on just 12 attempts for a .667 hitting percentage, while Maggie Wise, Shea Golden and Donnelly each had seven kills. Chellsa Ferdinand dished out 18 assists to go along with six digs, while Gigi Alper finished with a match-best 14 digs. Nelson tallied six block assists, while Lucy Ambach had five and Wise added four.

Zoe Beals led Skidmore with eight kills, while Sophie Hettler and Estey each produced five. Lauren Wolters tallied 20 assists to go along with six digs, while Frida Anguiano had a team-best 11 digs.

As a team, Middlebury recorded a .369 hitting percentage with 37 kills against six errors on 84 attempts, including a .500 mark (12-1-22) in the second set. Skidmore hit just .058 (31-25-104) in the match.