Visiting Babson Outlasts Blue Volleyball, 3-1

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Junior Brooke Fieldman (Greenwood Village, Colo.) recorded a match-high 16 kills but it wasn't enough as visiting Babson College earned a 3-1 victory over Wellesley College volleyball on Thursday night at Gracia Mangano Martore '73 Court. Babson improves to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play. Wellesley drops to 5-7 (2-1 NEWMAC) following their first conference blemish of the year. 

Senior Alicia Wilde (Franklin, Mass.) recorded a team-high 11 kills and added 15 digs for the Beavers, while classmate Mary Donahue (Braintree, Mass.) also added nine kills. Junior Jenny Karnes (Houston, Texas) and first year Gizem Yilmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) also chipped in with seven kills each. On defense, the Beavers got a match-high 25 digs from senior libero Elizabeth Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.), as she and Wilde finished as the only two Babson players in double-figures. Seniors Angela Price (Medway, Mass.) and Krissy Robertson (Dedham, Mass.) split the setting duties, finishing with 25 and 16 assists, respectively.

Fieldman added 13 digs to record a double-double for the Blue, while first year Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) put down 15 kills to finish just behind Fieldman for match-high honors. Reece also recorded two solo blocks and three block assists to lead all-players at the net. First year setter Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) dished out 27 of the Blues 39 assists. On defense, first year Samantha Hoang (Elk Grove, Calif.) led all Wellesley players with 25 digs.

Babson took advantage of a slow start from the Blue to capture the first set, 25-17. Wellesley finished the opening game with more errors (8) than kills (7) for the only time on the night, as the visitors jumped to a 12-6 advantage out the gate. Babson went on to hold leads of 19-13 and 22-16 before Yilmaz closed out the set, 25-17, with a kill.

It took the Blue more than 25 points to rally for a second set victory, as the teams played to a 25-all tie in a set that saw seven ties before Wellesley was able to take the 29-27 victory. A Babson kill from junior Jenny Karnes (Houston, Texas) tied the score at 26-26, before a Wellesley kill from sophomore Katie Yan (Cohoes, N.Y.) put the Blue up, 27-26. Babson senior Mary Martin (East Haddam, Conn.) then answered to tie the game for the final time at 27-all, as a Babson error and a kill from Reece capped the Wellesley win, 29-27.

The Beavers shook off Wellesley in the third set, leading until the Blue tied the match at 19-all on a kill from Fieldman. However, Wellesley was unable to overtake Babson, as the visitors put down five consecutive kills, including the final three in-a-row from Donahue, to end the set with a 25-22 win.

Babson capped off the match with another 25-22 victory in the fourth set, this time rallying from behind. Wellesley raced to a 14-10 edge, holding the four-point lead as the score increased to 18-14. However, Babson ran off four straight points to tie the match, 18-18, before eventually overtaking the Blue, 20-19, on an ace from junior Kristen Haislip (Waterford, Va.). Babson went on to earn the 25-22 set win and the 3-1 match win as Donahue again put down the final kill.

Wellesley will host WPI on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM as part of Homecoming weekend. Babson will also be in action on Saturday, hosting Clark and Amherst for a tri-match beginning at 12:00 PM