WALTHAM, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball split a pair of matches versus Stevens Institute of Technology and Connecticut College as part of the Brandeis Invitational on Saturday. The Blue (1-2) initially fell to Stevens in straight sets, before reversing its fortunes with a 3-0 shutout over Conn. College.
Stevens 3, Wellesley 0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-8)
The Ducks (1-1) hit .325 as a team and controlled the pace in a 3-0 sweep. Junior Sarah Bolduc (Hooksett, N.H.) led the team with nine kills. Multiple players had eight digs while junior Alexa Brucculeri (Astoria, N.Y.) assisted on 16 kills.
Wellesley saw senior libero Caroline Meyer (Indianapolis, Ind.) register 12 digs. Junior Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) hit double-digits with 10 assists while senior Emily Goldstein (Houston, Texas) had a trio of blocks.
The Ducks made few mistakes in a definitive 25-9 opener, racking up 12 kills. Meyer recorded six digs for the Blue in the frame while sophomore Alyssa O'Neal (Davenport, Iowa) recorded four kills for Stevens.
The Ducks' lead floated between two and four for most of the second frame. At 18-16, Stevens went on the offensive, snagging five consecutive points to put space between the two teams, before ending the 25-17 set with back-to-back kills.Â
Stevens raced out early and fired on all cylinders in a 25-8 third. The Ducks had an eye-popping .625 hitting percentage in the frame, with only a single error as a unit.
Wellesley 3, Connecticut College 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17)
The Blue opened its second match of the day with a 25-20 first set. At 11-11, Wellesley got some breathing room with a 3-0 run. While Conn. College (0-2) got the score back within two at 16-15, before the Blue put three more points up. Wellesley maintained composure, winning the final four points of the set, capped off with a Camels set error.
The second set continued Wellesley's hot hitting, with the team posting a .286 attack percentage and 10 kills. While competitive throughout, a key stat in the 25-22 set was Wellesley limiting itself to just two errors, while the Camels committed eight.
The foot remained on the gas for Coach Dorothy Webb's squad in the third. Multiple errors allowed the Blue to go up 14-8. The Camels were unable to get back within five points as Kunze-Hoeg sealed the first win of the year with a kill.
Meyer's 18 digs and Kunze-Hoeg's 27 assists led the way. Senior Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.) put away 10 kills while first-year Delia Noel (Telluride, Colo.) had nine.
The Blue will return to Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse on Wednesday, September 9 for a 7:00 PM showdown with the Owls of Westfield State University.
