Middlebury College

The Middlebury volleyball team prevailed in the opening session of Saturday's match against Williams, but the Ephs rallied to claim the final three sets and earn a 3-1 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tied at 6-6 in the first set, the navy and white grabbed seven of the next 10 tallies for a 13-9 lead. Mischa Pendleton, Ella Beebe and Molly MacDonald each found the floor in the spurt.
• Lilly Fox capped a three-point swing with a kill to pull the Ephs within one (13-12), but Molly Harrison powered an 8-3 response with two accurate swings to build a 21-15 advantage.
• Three consecutive Williams successful attacks prompted a Panther stoppage at 21-18. Beebe and Natalie Stanford fended off the hosts with a kill each for a 25-22 win in the lidlifter.
• After the teams split the first 10 points, Adalena Rodgers and Sophia Baer amassed four putaways each to spearhead a 13-2 surge and build an 18-7 lead for the Ephs.
• Harrison posted four strong swings over the final 18 rallies, but consecutive kills from Maya Thompson and Baer closed out the second session for the purple and gold, 25-18.
• The third set featured a seesaw exchange through the first 28 tallies. Stanford and Gabby Pribisich each collected three kills, while Chidimma Obi paced Williams with five accurate attacks.
• A service ace from Kinaree Eichner sparked three unanswered points for the navy and white. Thompson capped an identical stretch for the hosts with an ace to level the frame at 17-17.
• The Ephs claimed four of the next five points, capped by a Rodgers kill, to lead 21-18. Two Stanford putaways helped the Panthers tie the frame at 22-22, but the hosts nabbed the final three tallies for a 25-22 decision.
• Trailing 6-4 in the fourth frame, Harrison and Pribisich thumped the floor during a 5-1 run to give the Panthers a 9-7 edge. Clara Massey found a rhythm with four putaways over the next 10 rallies, powering a 7-3 run that put the hosts back in front by two (14-12).
• Pendleton restored the Panthers' edge with two kills as the navy and white took seven of 10 to lead 19-17.
• Rodgers, Massey and Kate Lane each found the floor twice in an 8-2 spurt that clinched the set (25-21) and the match.

NOTES

• Stanford finished with a team-high 13 kills, while Harrison posted 12 accurate swings.
• Annabella Rando logged 21 digs and three service aces.
• Middlebury and Williams battled in the 61st installment of the all-time series. 

The Panthers return to the floor on Friday, traveling to Maine to battle Bowdoin at 7:00 p.m.