WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball made the most of Senior Day by improving to 4-3 in NEWMAC competition (12-5 Overall) with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19) win over Clark University on Saturday.
Prior to the game, the Blue recognized its four seniors; Emily Goldstein (Houston, Texas), Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.), Caroline Meyer (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Noelle Winn (San Francisco, Calif.).
Hill had a standout day, with 11 kills, a .385 hitting percentage and eight digs. Meyer led all players with 14 digs while junior Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) was the assists leader with 26.
The Cougars (4-12 Overall, 0-7 NEWMAC) saw 12 kills from junior Isabella Alcott (Maple Grove, Minn.). Senior Julia Dopazo (Miami, Fla.) supplied 11 assists and seven digs while seniors Harper Chinn (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) and Katelyn Williams (Morristown, N.J.) each scooped up nine digs.
Wellesley recorded 12 kills and a .313 hitting percentage in the opening set. The home team went up 7-2, and led most of the way, though Clark remained within striking distance. An important 5-0 run with multiple Hill kills and Kunze-Hoeg aces put the Blue up 18-12 and from there, Wellesley coasted to a 25-19 final line.
The second set lead exchanged hands through 11-11. The Blue slowly began to pull away by 22-18 after most leading by three or fewer points. The last three points of the frame all belonged to Wellesley, with a 2-0 edge and all the momentum in the host's hands.
The Blue leapt up 9-3 in the third and though the final 25-19 line was competitive, the set was never in doubt. A final kill by sophomore Cassie McMillan (San Mateo, Calif.) gave Coach Dorothy Webb a 699th career win, with eyes turning to the team's next match on the hunt for 700.
Next up, the Blue will face WPI at home on Tuesday, October 20. The Cougars travel to Wheaton College that same evening.
