Middlebury College

The Middlebury volleyball team outlasted Bates in a five-set thriller on Friday, taking the final two points of a 20-18 fifth frame to earn a 3-2 triumph over the Bobcats from Pepin Gymnasium.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Tied at 14-14 in a back-and-forth opening set, consecutive kills by Molly MacDonald and an attack error from Bates gave the Panthers a 17-14 edge. 
• The Bobcats cut the deficit to one on two separate occasions, with the second coming at 22-21 on a successful swing by Elle Faris.
• Middlebury tallied three of the final four points of the stanza, highlighted by a trio of kills from Molly Harrison, for a 25-22 victory.
• Deadlocked at 4-4, the Panthers rattled off a 6-1 spurt for a 10-5 lead in the second session on a scoring swing off the arm of Natalie Stanford.
• Middlebury slowly pulled away, seeing the advantage balloon to 10 (22-12) on a Bates attacking miscue.
• The Bobcats moved within four via an Emily Kish service ace, but the Panthers tallied three of the closing four points to grab the second stanza, 25-19.
• The navy and white quickly jumped out to an 8-2 edge in set three, fueled by a pair of service aces from Annabella Rando.
• Bates stormed back with an 11-5 surge, knotting the frame at 13-13 on a kill from Sofia Castiglioni.
• The sides traded swells before a Bobcat hitting miscue evened the score at 23-23. Consecutive kills by Nora Gilmer gave the visitors the 25-23 win.
• Trading points in set four, Middlebury turned a 16-16 tally into a three-point cushion (19-16) on successful attempts by Harrison, MacDonald and Mischa Pendleton.
• The Bobcats roared back, recording the next six points to lead 22-19. Anais Reneaum found the floor to cap the stretch. 
• The Panthers sliced the advantage to one (22-21) on a Bates miscue, but the visitors tallied the final three points to send the contest to a decisive frame.
• Early in the fifth, Bates grabbed a 4-2 edge before the Panthers responded with four of the ensuing six markers, knotting the score at 6-6.
• The set featured 10 additional ties, with the final occasion happening at 18-18 on a kill by Bobcat Malina Young.
• A successful attempt from MacDonald and a hitting error from Bates capped the thriller with a 20-18 tally.

NOTES

• Harrison paced a balanced output with 21 kills at a .280 hitting clip, while Stanford and MacDonald tied their career-best efforts with 18 and 12, respectively. Stanford swung an impressive .405 in the triumph.
• Chloe Cunniffe matched her collegiate high with 31 assists and added a pair of service aces.
• The match featured 44 ties, including 13 apiece in the fourth and fifth sets, and had 18 total lead changes.
• The programs met for the 39th occasion with the Panthers holding a 10-match winning streak and a 27-12 advantage in the all-time series.

The navy and white conclude the home weekend against Tufts on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.