Volleyball Falls in Road Match with Clark
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wellesley (8-10, 3-6) | 18 | 22 | 20 | 0 |
|
Clark (13-11, 4-5) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
WORCESTER, Mass. -- Junior TylerBell Smith (Frisco, Texas) tallied 11 kills and a season high .421 kill percentage in a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) loss at Clark on Tuesday night.
The Blue drop a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game and fall to 8-10 overall and 3-6 in the conference. Clark earns a much needed win and jumps to 13-11 as a team and 4-5 in the NEWMAC.
Senior Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) posted a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs. Claire Bialek (Brookline, Mass.) had 18 digs and has recorded ten or more digs in all matches but three this season. Setter Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) had a match-high 27 assists for the Blue.
Nine different Clark members recorded a kill, including a team-high nine by Claudia Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). Victoria Pastor (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and Margarita Perez Maza (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) each posted six kills. Leading the Cougars defensively was Marimo Oka (Fukuoka, Japan) with 18 digs in the contest.
The first 20 points of the match started equally at a 10-10 tie. Clark followed up with a 5-1 run including a kill by Pastor to take the lead. Wellesley would fight back after a kill by Seebold cut the Cougar lead to just one. However, Clark scored the final six points of the set and took a one set to none lead.
After trailing by four in the second, the Blue sparked a mid-set rally and an attack error gave the team a 17-16 lead. With the score knotted at 20-20, Clark scored the next three points and forced Wellesley to call timeout. The Blue would score the first point after the break, but the Cougars got it together to take the second set by a score of 25-22. Wellesley had trouble to begin the third set, falling behind 16-6. Although down two sets, the Blue didn't quit and a kill by Doerges made it a 21-17 ball game. The fight came a bit too late as Clark finished the game with three kills and completed the sweep.
Wellesley returns for the team's final regular season home game versus Brandeis on Thursday, October 28, at 7:00 PM. Clark will host Wheaton College for its final game of the season on Saturday, October 30, at 1:00 PM.