Volleyball Edged by No. 17 Babson in Five-Set Bout

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College volleyball dropped a five set New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) battle with No. 17 Babson College, 3-2 (22-25,25-20,25-19,23-25,12-15), on Tuesday evening at Staake Gymnasium. 

With the victory, Babson improves to 27-1 overall and 8-1 in the NEWMAC. The Blue now sit at 20-4 on the season (9-1 NEWMAC).

Sophomore Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) led the Blue with 18 kills, 16 digs, and one service ace for 19 total points. Junior Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) tossed in 15 kills and three block assists while sophomore Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.H.) racked up five service aces, 44 assists, eight digs and one kill for the night. 

Junior Gaby Miller (Miami, Fla.) notched a season-high 16 kills, as well as two service aces and three digs to lead the Beavers. Junior Allie Puccio (New Hartford, N.Y.) contributed 14 kills, seven digs, and three block assists. Senior Kristin Carosotto (East Greenwich, R.I.) also added 10 kills and four block assists as the Beavers took down the Blue. 

The Beavers took control of the game early with a 4-0 lead. The Blue battled back and eventually pushed ahead at 20-19, however, a Wellesley service error gave the Beavers a 24-22 lead before Puccio sealed the set of the first set with a kill. The Blue rallied back from a 12-16 deficit in the second set to take the lead at 20-18 on two consecutive service aces from Seebold. Senior Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) topped off the set with another service ace to tie the game at one set apiece.

Another pair of service aces from Seebold started off the third set as the Blue later took control with an 8-3 lead. The Beavers rallied back within five points, however, their efforts fell short as the Blue took the set 25-19. The Blue grabbed the lead early in the fourth set but Babson rallied back to tie it up 21-21 before taking the lead once more at 23-22. The Beavers eventually took the game 25-23 on a kill from Puccio to force a deciding fifth set. 

The Beavers took the lead on a Wellesley service error but the Blue fought back point-for-point, eventually taking the lead on a hand full of kills from Doerges to make it 9-7. The Beavers rallied to tie it at 11-11 before pulling ahead on a block by Puccio and junior Sabrina Lechner (Novato, Calif.). The Beavers kept the lead and eventually took the set 15-12 to win the match.

Up next, Wellesley travels to Brandeis on Thursday, October 31, for a 7:00PM start and Babson hosts Hunter at 7:00 PM on Friday, November 1.