For Immediate Release
October 6, 2009
Courtesy Babson Sports Information
Wellesley Outduels Babson, 3-1
BABSON PARK, Mass. – Senior Alice Cummings (Tallahassee, Fla.) recorded 24 kills and 13 digs to help the Wellesley College women’s volleyball team hold on for a 3-1 (26-24, 25-14, 23-25, 26-24) victory over host Babson College in a hard-fought New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) battle on Tuesday night. With the win, the Blue improved to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference, while the Beavers suffered their first league defeat to fall to 9-6 overall and 4-1 in the NEWMAC.
In one of the most hotly-contested matches ever played between these two rivals, Babson rallied from a 22-20 deficit to tie the opening set at 22-22. The Beavers later had set-point after a kill by sophomore Meg Flaherty (Hollis, N.H.) made it 24-23, but Wellesley scored three straight points – the last two on back-to-back aces by junior Madeleine Brumley (Lafayette, La.) – to take the frame, 26-24.
Set two was all Wellesley, which used an 8-2 run to extend a 15-10 lead to a 23-12 margin en route to the 25-14 win. Babson then trailed 23-20 late in the third set before scoring five consecutive points to stay alive with a 25-23 victory. First-year Cathy Tinker (Woodbridge, Conn.) was huge during the run, posting key blocks to account for two of her team’s final three points.
Babson trailed again early in the fourth set, but a 7-1 run turned a 12-7 deficit into a 14-13 advantage for the hosts. The Beavers still led, 20-17, late in the frame, but Wellesley rattled off three straight points, including two on kills by Brumley, to even the set at 20-20. The two squads then went back and forth the rest of the way, with the Blue eventually snapping a 24-24 deadlock with two straight points to clinch the set (26-24) and the match (3-1).
In addition to Cummings’ 24 kills and 13 digs, Wellesley received nine kills from first-year Elizabeth Campbell (Solona Beach, Calif.) and eight kills, three aces, and three blocks from Brumley. Senior Naomi Iwata (Seattle, Wash.) added 19 digs, first-year Taylor King (Walnut Creek, Calif.) posted eight kills and five blocks, and first-year Isabel Custodio (Powell, Ohio) and junior Victoria Peng (Diamond Bar, Calif.) dished out 26 and 23 assists, respectively.
Babson was led in defeat by a magnificent performance from sophomore Nina Milovanovic (Belgrade, Serbia), who finished with 18 kills and just two errors to go with 18 digs and three block assists. Also brilliant for the Beavers were sophomore Alexa Untermann (Honolulu, Hawaii), who finished with six errorless kills, five aces, and three blocks, and Tinker, who contributed four error-free kills and seven total blocks. Flaherty added seven kills and 10 digs, first-year Kathleen Lynch (Quincy, Mass.) contributed 33 assists, eight digs, and five blocks, and senior captain Shanna Glassner (Orland Park, Ill.) finished with 12 digs and two aces in her return to the court after missing the team’s last 13 matches with an injury.
Wellesley returns to action this weekend, October 10-11, when they travel to Smith for the Seven Sisters Championship.