Box Score MIDDLEBURY, Vermont – The Middlebury volleyball team fell in straight sets Friday evening inside Pepin Gymnasium to visiting Connecticut College in an NESCAC contest (27-25, 25-20, 28-26). Middlebury (16-6, 6-3) returns to the home court and concludes its regular-season schedule Saturday with a key NESCAC match against Tufts at 2:00 p.m., while Connecticut College (16-6, 5-4) is on the road at Hamilton.
In Friday's opening set, the Camels jumped out to an 11-7 advantage on a block assist from Katia Elisman and Ella Johnson (pictured). The Panthers responded with a 4-1 run, capped off on a service ace by Emily Kolodka and pulled to within one, 12-11. The visitors pushed the lead back to three (16-13) on a kill by Sam Hunter, but the teams traded points and small runs eventually knotting the set at 25-25. With the score tied, a Middlebury service error coupled with a kill by Jenny Kellogg gave the visitors the 1-0 lead.
The second set saw Connecticut College race out to a six-point lead (10-4) on a kill by Kellogg. Middlebury slowly chipped away, cutting the deficit to a single point (14-13) on a block assist from Sarah Staver and Becca Raffel. The teams exchanged points with Middlebury pulling back to within a point (17-16) on a Raffel kill. Connecticut College reeled off a 5-1 run and were never threatened taking a two-set edge.
The third set witnessed 12 ties over the first 32 points, as a kill by Ella Johnson for Connecticut College tied the score at 16-16. The visitors tallied the next three points and grabbed a 19-16 advantage, but Middlebury rattled off a 5-2 run and tied it at 21-21. The set was knotted at 22-22, 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26 before a kill by Johnson and a Panther attack error gave the Camels the set and the match.
Johnson finished with a match-best 14 kills for the Camels, while Hunter was also in double figures with 11. Elisman had a double-double of 39 assists and 10 digs, while Cailyn Straubel and Caroline Martin tallied 21 and 20 digs, respectively. Martin (2 BS), Andrea Mullaney (1 BS, 4 BA) and Elisman (4 BA) led the Camel presence at the net.
Raffel led the Panthers 12 kills, while Gabi Rosenfeld and Alice Roberts each had six. Blackburn handed out 29 assists, giving her 2,003 helpers for her career, along with 17 digs for a double-double. Kolodka posted a match-high 22 digs for Middlebury, while Claire White-Dzuro chipped in with 11. Blackburn and Staver added four block assists apiece.
Camel Tracks:
After starting the season with a 0-4 mark in conference play, the Camels have caught fire here in mid-season, winning 10 of their last 11 matches to lock up a post-season berth in the upcoming 2015 NESCAC Championship. Connecticut College will be making its 11th straight appearance in the NESCAC Championship next month. Sophomore Sam Hunter averaged 3.36 kills, 2.55 digs and .55 aces over 11 sets in a 2-1 week for the Camels last week. Hunter posted two double-doubles for the Camels. She had 18 kills and 10 digs in a 3-1 triumph at Eastern Connecticut State October 20. Hunter followed up on that performance with 13 kills and 10 digs in a loss to the Coast Guard October 23. Hunter is averaging 2.48 kills per set to rank 12th in the NESCAC.
Sophomore setter Katia Elisman (Lake Forest, Ill.) continues to improve as the team's quarterback and table-setter. Elisman is averaging 9.7 assists per set to rank second in the NESCAC. Senior Caroline Martin of Palo Alto, Calif. leads the team with 210 digs and 26 service aces. A three-time All-NESCAC Selection and the Conference's 2012 Rookie of the Year, Martin has put up some gaudy numbers, burying 888 kills while registering 1061 digs, 148 aces and 97 blocks. Martin has registered 32 double-doubles.
