Blue Volleyball Suffers 3-0 Setback at Babson

BABSON PARK, Mass. -- First year Kennedy Ulfig (Saline, Mich.) recorded a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs but Wellesley College volleyball dropped a 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-19) final to cross-town rival Babson College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Thursday evening at Staake Gymnasium.

Babson snaps the Blue's three-match win streak and improves to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in NEWMAC play. Wellesley is now 8-5 (2-1 NEWMAC). 

Sophomore Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) finished with 13 kills and seven digs for the Blue, who also got 27 assists from sophomore Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.). First year Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) chipped in with 10 digs, while junior Alina Mota (Glendora, Calif.) added six.

Babson senior Lorraine Mackiewicz (Edison, N.J.) tied Reece for match-high honors with 13 kills, while classmate Jenny Karnes (Houston, Texas) and sophomore Shannon Roseen (Malden, Mass.) added 11 and 12 respectively. First year setter Elizabeth Cameron (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) distributed 39 assists and a team-high 11 digs for the hosts.

The teams traded blows in the first set, with Babson putting down 18 kills and the Blue countering with a match-high 15. With Wellesley leading 19-18, following a kill from Reece, Babson picked-up a kill from Mackiewicz to tie the match, 19-19. Wellesley took the advantage back on another kill from Reece, but Babson scored three straight points to take a 22-20 edge. Following a timeout, Reece pulled Wellesley back to within one, at 22-21, but Babson scored two of the final three points to take the set, 25-22. 

The Beavers constructed leads of 10-6 and 15-9 before eventually taking a 20-12 advantage in the second game. Wellesley refused to go away, chipping at the deficit to cut the lead to 21-15 following a Babson error. Following a kill from Roseen, Wellesley score four unanswered points to make the score 22-19. Babson got a point closer to taking the set, but the Blue responded with another 4-0 run to tie the match at 23-23. Karnes and Reece exchanged kills to make the score 24-all but again Babson scored two of the final three points in the set to take the game 26-24. 

Wellesley took a brief 4-2 lead in the third set but quickly fell behind Babson, eventually falling behind 20-14. The Blue were unable to counter, as Babson closed out the set and the match with a 25-19 win. Babson hit .295 in the match, laying down 49 kills. The Blue countered by hitting .200 on the evening, with 33 kills.

Both teams continue the season on Saturday at 11:00 AM. Babson will travel to Clark to face the host Cougars and Amherst, while Wellesley visits WPI. The Blue will also play Rivier at 3:00 PM.