Blue Volleyball Tops Nazareth on Day Two of Wellesley Invitational

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball swept to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-13) win over Nazareth College before dropping a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) final to SUNY Oneonta on the second and final day of the Wellesley Invitational on Saturday at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse. The Blue are now 11-11 on the season after going 2-1 this weekend.

Wellesley 3, Nazareth 0 

Wellesley overcame early deficits in the first two games to take a 2-0 lead before cruising to the win. The Blue tallied 39 digs to Nazareth's 28, while out-hitting the Golden Flyers .277 to .082. 

Junior captain Brooke Fieldman (Greenwood Village, Colo.) led the Wellesley attack, pounding 12 kills at a .346 clip. First year Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) tallied nine kills and classmate Elise Griffin (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) finished with six. Libero Samantha Hoang (Elk Grove, Calif.) picked up 13 digs to lead the Blue, while Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) dished out 29 assists in the win.

Cady Messmer (Albion, N.Y.) led Nazareth, recording 10 kills in the effort. Kelsey Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) and Celia Cordero (Clifton Springs, N.Y.) recorded five kills a piece, while Jennifer Hicks (Greenville, N.Y.) and Carmen Sapp (Geneva, N.Y.) chipped in four each. Maureen Thayer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) distributed 20 assists in the loss.

SUNY Oneonta 3, Wellesley 0

The Blue struggled to find their groove in the weekend's final game, falling to SUNY Oneonta, 3-0. Wellesley dropped the opener despite hitting .385 as a team, the Blue then trailed throughout the second set before letting a 17-15 lead slip to drop the third set and the match.

Fieldman and Reece were once again the leaders, with each recording 10 kills versus the Red Dragons. Fieldman also tagged on a team-high nine digs for the Blue, while Reece was one of three players, including Li and junior Maddie Koh (Seattle, Wash.), to record seven digs. Li also distributed a match-high 32 assists.

Jill Darpino (Endicott, N.Y.) led the way for SUNY Oneonta, putting down a match-high 12 kills. On defense, senior Allyson Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.) was the only player in the match to finish with double–digit kills, as she racked up 12.

Wellesley returns to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play at Smith on Tuesday night, October 20, at 7:00 PM.

Recapping the rest of Saturday's action at the Wellesley Invitational:

Roger Williams 3, Oneonta St. 2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 15-10) 

Roger Williams started the second day of the Wellesley Invitational by surviving a five-set marathon to down SUNY Oneonta, 3-2. Kristen Boyer (Ephrata, Pa.) led RWU at the net, with match-highs of 17 kills and five blocks. For Oneonta, Jill Darpino (Endicott, N.Y.) hammered 14 kills, followed by Paige Carpluk (Yaphank, N.Y.) with 12.

Ithaca 3, Southern Maine 0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-15) 

Ithaca College capitalized on a fast start and a balanced attack to sweep Southern Maine, 3-0. For Ithaca, Amanda Cerruti (West Islip, N.Y.) tallied eight kills and six blocks. Katie Evans (Westerville, Ohio) also put down eight kills. Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) led the Huskies with seven kills, as she and Demi Ruder (Grand Junction, Colo.) split the defensive lead with seven digs each.

Babson 3, Roger Williams 1 (25-21, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19)

Babson took the first two games of the match before shaking off a third set loss to down Roger Williams, 3-1. Senior Mary Donahue (Braintree, Mass.) racked up ten kills, while classmate Elizabeth Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.) had a match-best 27 digs for Babson. For RWU, first year Molly Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) tied for match-high honors with 10 kills, while Maria Batas (Merrick, N.Y.) added 18 digs and Nicole Weber (Poulsbo, Wash.) had a match-high 32 assists.

Nazareth 3, Southern Maine 1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-15, 26-24)

Nazareth bounced back in their final match to earn their first win of the weekend with a 3-1 triumph over Southern Maine. Cady Messmer (Albion, N.Y.) turned in a 20 kill performance, while Kelsey Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) add 13. Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) led the Huskies for the second consecutive match, this time with a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs.

Ithaca 3, Babson 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-21) 

The Bombers roared to a 25-14 victory in the first set before taking two straight 25-21 wins and a 3-0 win over Babson. Joelle Goldstein (Kings Park, N.Y.) had a match-best 14 kills for Ithaca, while Dylan Gawinski-Stern (Rochester, N.Y.) collected a match-best 14 digs. For Babson, Lorraine Mackiewicz (Edison, N.J.) had 10 kills and Elizabeth Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.) added 13 digs.