The Middlebury volleyball team has secured the second seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers will host seventh-seeded Bowdoin inside Pepin Gymnasium on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is one of four schools (Amherst, Tufts & Williams) to appear in each NESCAC Tournament since the inaugural edition in 1999.
• The Panthers have won the conference crown five times with their last title coming in 2016.
• Middlebury has secured a top-three seed for the eighth time since seeding was implemented in 2000.
• The Panthers rank inside the top-four spots in many categories, including hitting percentage (.197), blocks per set (1.92) and total kills (1,083). The team is also tops in digs per set with 17.47
• Middlebury closed the regular season with a 7-0 mark in Pepin Gymnasium, its first unblemished record at home since going 10-0 in 2021.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Gabbie O'Toole has handed out at least 20 assists in 94 of 96 matches and has moved to second place in program history with 3,198 career helpers. She leads the conference in total assists (728) and is second in assists/set (9.45) this year. 
• Pacing the league with 3.76 kills per set is Molly Harrison. She leads the Panther attack with 331 kills and has 16 double-doubles, including a career-best in kills (25) against Wesleyan and 24 digs in the season finale against Hamilton.
• Annabella Rando has settled in as the primary libero, sitting second in the NESCAC in digs per set (4.53). She has dug out 20 or more balls nine times, including a career-high 35 in a five-set battle with Hamilton last weekend.
• Gabby Pribisich and Ava Tuccio have been the enforcers up front for Middlebury. Pribisich leads the Panthers with 74 total blocks, while Tuccio is right behind with 67.
• Patrolling the service line with a team-best 41 aces is Campbell Keller. That metric is also fourth in the NESCAC.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• The Polar Bears make their 21st appearance in the NESCAC tournament and are searching for their fifth conference title.
• Bowdoin has earned a spot in the championship game six times, winning their most recent appearance in 2021.
• The Polar Bears went 14-8 overall and 5-5 in conference action this fall.
• The team comes into the weekend on a heater, securing victories in four out of the last five matches, including a sweep of Connecticut College and a 3-2 battle over Trinity to close out the regular season.
• Bowdoin's attack has been lethal this season with a conference-best .231 hitting percentage and ranking second in kills per set (12.69).

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Skye LaMendola leads the Polar Bears with 280 kills and 3.33 kills per set. The sophomore has tallied 10 or more successful attacks 18 times, including a season-best 23 against Wellesley.
• Alison Smith has also been a problem for opponents, recording 207 kills and the second-best hitting percentage in the NESCAC with .338.
• The assist department has been held down by Cameron Shelley, who leads Bowdoin with 479 handed out. Shelley has logged 20 or more helpers in 14 matches with a season-high of 33 earlier this season against the Panthers.
• Maya White is the primary libero for the Polar Bears with 259 balls dug out. Her season-best of 32 came in a five-set thriller against Hamilton.
• Haley Campu (57) and Mary John (50) are a brick wall for Bowdoin on the block.

SERIES HISTORY

• The programs square off for the 40th time with Middlebury owning a 27-12 mark in the series. 
• Last year, the Panthers snapped a six-match losing streak to the Polar Bears with a 3-0 sweep and followed that up with a 3-2 victory this fall.
• The teams have met five times in the NESCAC Tournament, with Bowdoin owning a 4-1 mark. The programs have squared off twice in the quarterfinals, two times in the semifinals and once in the championship. The last meeting was in 2017. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records

The 2024 edition of the NESCAC Volleyball Championship will be an eight-team field with quarterfinal matches on Saturday, November 9. The highest remaining seed will host the semifinals and final on November 15 and 16, with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.