Senior Molly Harrison came alive on Wednesday, tallying a program-record 26 kills as the Middlebury volleyball team rallied for a 3-2 reverse sweep of Union.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Garnet Chargers quickly built an 8-4 lead to open the match, headlined by two kills from Maddie McCarron.
- Middlebury chipped away at the deficit. A successful swing from Harrison and a Union attack error bookended 10 of the next 16 points to tie the initial set at 14-14.
- The hosts battled back with an 8-3 surge to stretch the lead to five (22-17) and force a stoppage.
- Mischa Pendleton cut the deficit to 22-18 until an ace by Charlotte Pernisie sealed three consecutive points and a 25-18 opening set triumph for Union.
- The Garnet Chargers kept the momentum in the second frame. Five different players tallied kills as part of a 14-6 opening swing, prompting a Middlebury timeout.
- Despite the deficit, the navy and white kept fighting. Molly MacDonald found the floor and sparked a 10-6 spurt, trimming the Union lead to four (21-17).
- The Panthers could not get any closer, as four of the next six points swung in favor of the hosts for a 25-19 win. Kayla Martinez Cartagena capped the second frame with a kill.
- Middlebury flipped the script to open the third. Harrison and Natalie Stanford paced the attack with two kills apiece to stack a 9-1 advantage.
- Union sliced into the lead. McCarron found the floor to spark six of the next eight points to cut the advantage to 11-7.
- The teams traded points down the stretch before Harrison tucked her fifth kill of the set down the right side of the court to win the set by seven (25-18).
- The Panthers and Garnet Chargers split the first 22 points to commence the fourth frame. Devin McCormack and Shea Ringel led their respective squads with three and two successful swings, respectively.
- Knotted at 15-15, Harrison and McCormack combined for three-straight kills to jump ahead 18-15 and force a Union timeout.
- Middlebury kept the momentum to end the set. Kinaree Eichner closed out seven of the final 10 tallies with an ace to push the match to a decisive stanza.
- Stanford powered the attack in the ultimatrframe, finding the floor three times to help build an 8-4 swing.
- The visitors stretched their lead to 14-10 before four consecutive points by the Garnet Chargers tied the set at 14 apiece.
- Despite the swing of momentum, a pair of Union attack errors proved costly, as Middlebury snatched the 16-14 set victory and the five-set marathon.
NOTES
- Harrison recorded her 50th double-double in a Middlebury uniform with 26 kills and 14 digs. Her 26 successful attacks best her previous program record of 25 from a 3-1 win over Wesleyan on October 19, 2024. It is also the most by a Panther in a five-set battle since Lexie Fisher '08 had 24 against Colby-Sawyer on October 5, 2007.
- Stanford was the other Panther with double-digit kills (13) and had a team-high seven blocks.
- Annabella Rando tallied her first 30-plus-dig outing of the campaign with 31.
- Chloe Cunniffe had a solid all-around effort, dishing 28 assists and adding 16 digs.
- The programs met for the 27th time, with the Panthers extending their winning streak over the Garnet Chargers to six consecutive matches.
Middlebury returns home for a NESCAC weekend slate beginning on Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Bates.
