Blue Volleyball Tops Norwich, 3-0

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Junior Kate Salembier (Sierra Madre, Calif.) tallied 14 kills and first year libero Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) collected 17 digs to lead Wellesley College volleyball to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19) win over Norwich in non-conference action on Wednesday evening at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse. 

The Blue (2-2) handed Norwich (3-1 overall) its first defeat of the season. Sophomore Jennifer Yu (Shanghai, China) added 11 kills and eight digs and senior TylerBell Smith (Frisco, Texas) tallied seven in the win for Wellesley. Sophomore Mikayla Tansil (Warren, Mich.) dished out 29 assists and Kunze-Hoeg added seven helpers from the back row. Sophomore Mia Maxwell (Arlington, Mass.) was the leader in the match with five total blocks as Wellesley collected 13 blocks on the evening. 

Senior Ana Lopez (Laredo, Texas ) had 11 kills to lead the visitors, while junior Sam Lebruska (Lynnfield, Mass.) chipped in with five. Senior setter Sarah Farnum (North Andover, Mass.) finished the contest with 20 assists and eight digs. Laura Farnum (North Andover, Mass.) had a team-best 15 digs for the Cadets. 

Trailing 14-12 in the first set, a Wellesley timeout sparked a 3-0 run that helped the Blue take control of the opening game. The Blue never trailed after taking a 15-14 lead, holding on to take a back-and-forth opening frame, 25-22. Wellesley carried the momentum into the second set, earning its most convincing victory of the evening, 25-16. The Blue never trailed in the third set, taking a 20-13 advantage before closing out the match with a 25-18 win. 

Wellesley will travel to Nashua, N.H. on Saturday for a tri-match at Rivier. The Blue will take on the host Raiders at 11:00 AM before playing Castleton at 1:00 PM. Norwich will host MCLA and Wentworth for a tri-match on Saturday with match times beginning at 11:00 AM.