Middlebury College

The Middlebury volleyball team dropped Friday's opening set against Roger Williams but rebounded to claim the next three on its way to a 3-1 triumph. The match was the first of three for the Panthers during this weekend's Skidmore Classic.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Trading small leads over the initial 20 points of the opening set, the Hawks manufactured a 7-2 run for a 17-12 lead on a block from Adele Kasper.
• The navy and white rattled off the next four points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Natalie Stanford, to move within one (17-16) and force a timeout by Roger Williams.
• The Hawks scored eight of the final 10 points following the stoppage for a 25-18 triumph, capped by a service ace from Marianna Hernandez.
• Roger Williams raced out to a quick edge in the second frame, posting a 6-3 tally on a successful swing from Rylie Eisenhard.
• Middlebury whittled away at the deficit, tying the score (11-11) on a kill off the arm of Gabby Pribisich.
• The Panthers continued to ride the momentum, recording the next seven points with a pair of swings from Molly MacDonald for an 18-11 lead.
• The Hawks got as close as four (18-14) behind a service ace from Ava Lombardo, but the navy and white pulled away and leveled the match at a set apiece on a kill from Stanford.
• Middlebury raced out to an 8-3 advantage in the third set, fueled by two kills apiece from Molly Harrison, Pribisich and Stanford.
• After a Panther hitting miscue, Middlebury reeled off a 10-2 run to make it 20-11 and preserved the margin en route to securing the set (25-17).
• The Panthers continued their surge in the fourth stanza, moving to an 8-1 advantage on a swing from Stanford.
• Exchanging points, a kill from Angela West brought the Hawks to as close as five (16-11), but points from Ella Beebe and MacDonald pushed the edge to seven.
• Middlebury maintained its lead over the remainder of the set, securing the victory when MacDonald found open space on the Hawk side of the court for the 25-17 triumph. 

NOTES

• Harrison became the second player in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs (1,100 K, 1,005 D) in a navy and white uniform, joining Jane Handel '11 (1,220 K, 1,179 D) in the elite club.
• Stanford posted a career-best 18 kills, while Harrison added 13 and MacDonald ended with a season-high nine.
• Chloe Cunniffe tallied her second consecutive double-double with collegiate-best totals of 31 assists and 17 digs. 
• Middlebury and Roger Williams squared off for the second time in volleyball, with the Panthers winning the first matchup (3-1) on October 7, 1995.

The Panthers conclude the weekend on Saturday, facing St. John Fisher at 11:00 a.m. before taking on Oswego State at 1:00 p.m.