POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's volleyball team rallied to win the third set and held three set points in the fourth, but Vassar stormed back late to secure a 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25) victory Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Hall. The Thoroughbreds, who clinched a Liberty League playoff berth Friday, slipped to 12-11 overall and 3-5 in conference play, while the Brewers improved to 12-12 and 6-2.
- Natalie Pedersen led Skidmore with 12 kills on .267 hitting, while Katy O'Connell delivered an efficient performance with 10 kills and no errors on 17 attempts for a .588 hitting percentage. O'Connell also finished with a match-high six blocks, including two solo blocks and four block assists.
- Catriona Hoelperl recorded a double-double with 37 assists and a team-high 15 digs while adding a service ace.
- Malana Noble powered Skidmore from the service line with a team-high four aces and added eight digs.
- Phoebe Yang finished with three aces, while Cece Kilroy contributed two. Marlowe McIntyre collected nine digs, and Oia Hughes added seven kills and two blocks.
- Vassar held a 56-48 advantage in kills and hit .262 compared to .190 for Skidmore. Both teams recorded 12 service aces, while the Thoroughbreds finished with an 8-6 edge in blocks.
- Vassar jumped ahead 10-3 in the opening set before Skidmore battled back to even the score at 12. The Brewers responded with five consecutive points to reclaim control at 17-12 and held off the Thoroughbreds down the stretch for the 25-21 victory.
- The second set remained competitive through a 16-16 tie before Vassar rattled off five straight points to build a 21-16 advantage. Skidmore responded and pulled within 22-21, but the Brewers claimed the final three points to take the set 25-21 and a 2-0 match lead. Vassar hit .400 with 16 kills in the frame.
- Skidmore answered in the third behind a dominant serving stretch from Noble. Trailing 11-9, the Thoroughbreds rattled off five consecutive points, including four service aces from Noble, to surge ahead 14-11. Skidmore extended its advantage to 17-12 before Vassar battled back to tie the score at 18. The Thoroughbreds responded with three straight points to seize a 21-18 lead and held on for the 25-22 victory to extend the match.
- The Brewers raced ahead 6-1 in the fourth, but Skidmore steadily chipped away before surging in front 20-15. The Thoroughbreds maintained their advantage and reached set point at 24-21, but Vassar scored four consecutive points to move ahead 25-24. Skidmore fought off match point to tie the score at 25 before the Brewers claimed the final two points, capped by a Holland Kaplan service ace, to clinch the 27-25 victory.
- Eleanor Gegen led Vassar with a match-high 15 kills, while Erin Lovett added 12 kills on .357 hitting. Francesca Medrano finished with 42 assists, 10 digs and four service aces, while Riley Huang collected a match-high 22 digs and four aces.
UP NEXT
Skidmore concludes its regular season Thursday, Nov. 5 with a 7 p.m. match at Clark in Worcester, Mass. The Thoroughbreds have secured a berth in the Liberty League Tournament, which begins Tuesday, Nov. 10. The sixth-seeded Thoroughbreds will travel to No. 3 seed Vassar.
