Volleyball (8-4,1-2 NESCAC) fought hard over the weekend against the Middlebury Panthers (7-4, 3-0 NESCAC) and the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (11-5). In their game at Middlebury on Friday, the Ephs fell to the Panthers 1-3 in four sets. They came back strong at home on Saturday, besting the Corsairs 3-2.
The Ephs had a solid start to Friday’s game but narrowly lost the first set 24-26. The second set remained intense as both teams battled back and forth, continuously exchanging leads. The Ephs ultimately emerged victorious with 25 points over the Panthers’ 20. They continued to fight hard in the third and fourth sets but fell 24-26 in both.
Despite the defeat, Keely Campuzano ’27 was proud of the team’s performance. “I think we actually played some of our best volleyball against Middlebury,” she said. Campuzano was a key player in both games, collecting 13 kills against the Panthers and 11 against the Corsairs.
Just 14 hours after their match-up with Middlebury, the team played UMass Dartmouth at home. “We were really tired,” Maya Thompson ’28 said. “We got home at 12:30 a.m., and we had to play again at noon.”
The quick turnaround did not prevent the Ephs from besting the Corsairs in the first set, with Helen Qian ’26 sealing the set with her third kill of the afternoon. While the Corsairs took the second set, the Ephs were not deterred and rebounded in the third set with a score of 25-23, fueled by strong team play. After the Corsairs won the fourth set by a four-point margin, the Ephs ensured their home fans would not exit the gymnasium disappointed, securing the victory in the fifth and final set by a score of 15-12. The Ephs’ hard-fought victory ended the Corsairs’ six-game winning streak.
Thompson reflected on the challenges of the weekend and the team’s adaptability. “We lost a couple of players [due to injury], so a lot of players stepped up and into different roles,” she said.
One of these players was Annaliese Fricke ’26, who is usually an outside hitter or an opposite hitter but had to play in the back row. Fricke scored 14 and 19 kills against Middlebury and UMass Dartmouth respectively, putting her first on the Ephs’ kill leaderboard. She also tallied three aces and two blocks across the games.
Campuzano and Thompson also highlighted the performance of first-year Kate Lane ’28, who replaced injured Tatum Baker ’27 on the outside. “We’ve had a tough couple games recently because Tatum is out,” Campuzano said. “I think [Kate] did a great job.”
As part of the team’s offensive strategy against the Corsairs, the Ephs put an emphasis on crossing plays, leading to timely kills en route to the five-set victory.
Through a weekend of play marred by injury, long travel, and a quick turnaround, the Ephs’ perseverance was further fortified, which Campuzano and Thompson credited to their strong team chemistry and collective energy.
As the team looks ahead to a weekend of NESCAC competition at home against Tufts and Bates, Campuzano emphasized the importance of focus and high energy. “I think that everyone really wants these two wins, and they’re going to be tough games, but I think we can do it,” she said.
