WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball faced a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21) NEWMAC setback to WPI on Tuesday night at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.
Sophomore Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, Pa.) was the catalyst for the Engineers (10-11 Overall, 3-5 NEWMAC) with 16 kills and a .517 hitting percentage. Classmates Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, Va.) and Liz Higday (Chevy Chase, Md.) combined for 33 assists. Senior Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, Calif.) patrolled the net with eight block assists.
The Blue (12-6 Overall, 4-4 NEWMAC) were led by 20 kills from senior Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.). Junior Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) was a kill shy of a triple-double, recording nine kills, 38 assists and 11 digs. First-year Eric Lin (Hillsborough, Calif.) had a season-best 24 digs.
WPI dominated much of the opening set, going up 17-4. However, the Blue nearly reversed its fortunes with an 11-4 stretch making it just 21-17. A VanDamme kill gave the Engineers the first set, though not without a few second thoughts to Wellesley's comeback effort.
The second set stayed with a few points for much of the frame. WPI gradually built itself a four-point cushion at 21-17. A 3-0 moment saw the home team make it a one-point set at 22-21. A pair of WPI kills and an ace quickly extinguished any fuel that the Blue were building.
The Blue started even with WPI in the third. At 13-13 the hosts began to pick up steam, winning five of seven points. The Engineers countered back, taking three in-a-row to knot the set at 18 apiece. Wellesley returned fire by grabbing the final five points of a 25-21 set, with three kills from Hill.
The fourth saw several short bursts from both squads. Though Wellesley led 13-9, WPI persisted with Hutchinson notching several kills. A deflating 7-0 run put the Engineers up 22-18, and the visitors closed out the match with a VanDamme kill.
Up next, Wellesley will remain home on Thursday, October 22 for a 7:00 PM non-conference matchup with Amherst College. The Engineers play at Bowdoin College on Friday, October 23.
