Middlebury College

The Middlebury volleyball team concluded an unbeaten season-opening weekend with a pair of triumphs on Sunday, sweeping St. Lawrence before securing a five-set marathon against Clarkson.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. ST. LAWRENCE

• The Saints struck early, building a 5-2 lead with two kills from Araiza Acum-Santos.
• Molly Harrison rallied the troops, sparking a 7-1 run to put the Panthers back in front by a 9-6 score.
• The scarlet and brown took five of the next six to grab an 11-10 advantage. Molly MacDonald flipped the momentum with three successful attacks during a 7-0 burst, crafting a 17-11 lead and forcing a St. Lawrence timeout.
• Vanessa Latam pulled the Saints within four (19-15) later in the set via a kill, but Middlebury wrapped the first set with six of the final seven tallies for a 25-16 result.
• Knotted at 2-2 in the second stanza, Mischa Pendleton punctuated an 11-3 Panther run with her third successful attack of the stretch to build a 13-5 advantage.
• A Middlebury miscue and an Acum-Santos kill bookended five of the next eight points for St. Lawrence, trimming the deficit to six at 16-10.
• The Panthers did not waver. A service ace by Annabella Rando and three more successful attacks from Pendleton highlighted the closing stages of a 25-14 triumph in the second stanza.
• Caroline Byrne stamped the start of the third stanza with three kills to build a 6-1 edge before two aces and a successful swing from Bridget Gammons trimmed the lead to one (6-5). 
• Middlebury took the reins as Pendleton, Harrison and Natalie Stanford combined for seven kills in a 10-3 blitz, extending the lead to 16-8.
• The navy and white stayed on cruise control the rest of the set, grabbing eight of the final 12 points to seal a 25-12 victory and the sweep.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. CLARKSON

• Tied at 5-5 in the opening frame, a kill by Ainslie Reimer kicked off a 7-3 surge to put the hosts ahead 12-8.
• Middlebury grabbed seven of the next nine points to make it 15-14. Stanford closed the burst with a successful attack.
• After Reimer tied the contest at 15 apiece, the navy and white continued to swing well. Stanford and Harrison bookended a 5-0 burst with kills to make it 20-15 and force a Knights timeout.
• The Panthers held down the fort the rest of the way, sealing the opener (25-20) on a successful swing from Ella Beebe.
• Clarkson changed the script to kick off the second set, bursting out to an 11-5 lead. Reimer led the charge with four kills.
• Middlebury chipped away at the deficit. A successful attack by Gabby Pribisich swelled into 11 of 17 for the visitors to cut the lead to 17-16.
• A Conley Burns kill and a Panther attack error gave the hosts a 25-20 victory to level the match.
• Middlebury grabbed control to commence the third stanza. Six different players tallied kills, building a 14-7 advantage.
• The Golden Knights did not go away, tallying 15 of the next 20 points to snag a 22-19 edge and prompt a Panther timeout. 
• Burns and Chase Chudoba stuffed a block to seal the four-point triumph (25-21) and make it 2-1.
• The pendulum swung back in favor of the hosts during the fourth frame. Kills from Stanford and MacDonald sandwiched a 14-6 lead.
• Clarkson trimmed the deficit to seven (15-8), but the navy and white wave stamped the set with a 10-3 run for a 25-11 triumph and pushed the match to a decisive fifth set.
• Stanford and Harrison provided an early spark with two kills apiece to build a 7-2 advantage.
• The green and gold found a rhythm shortly after. Chudoba capped nine of the next 14 points with her third successful attack in the span to trim the lead to one (12-11).
• Middlebury did not falter, as kills by Beebe and Harrison paired with a Clarkson attacking error sealed a 15-11 decision and the five-set victory.

NOTES

• Stanford logged her first double-digit kill total (12) against the Golden Knights.
• Harrison posted 25 kills and 28 digs over both matches. Her 18 kills against Clarkson marked her 65th career double-digit performance.
• Campbell Bartley and Chloe Cunniffe combined for 78 assists.
• St. Lawrence and Middlebury met for the 10th time. The Panthers have won nine matchups in the series.
• The Golden Knights and Panthers are now tied with five victories each.