Wellesley Tops Women's Volleyball in NEWMAC Championship
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – With a 25-14, 25-13,
25-19 victory over host MIT, Wellesley College captured its second
New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
(NEWMAC) Women’s Volleyball crown in three years. The No.
2-seeded Blue improved to 23-9 on the year and earned a spot in the
upcoming NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Engineers
(27-8) will await the announcement of an at-large bid, which will
be released on Monday, Nov. 9.
Alex May paced MIT with 12 kills to go along with five digs. Cecily
Joujon-Roche notched three kills and three blocks as Barden
Cleeland chipped in three kills. Katie Spielbauer registered seven
digs while Cathy Melnikow and Jenny Li each collected five of their
own. Alyssa Rothman finished with 18 assists and one ace.
Alice Kate Cummings recorded her second straight double-double of
the weekend, compiling 13 kills and 11 digs for Wellesley.
Elizabeth Campbell added eight kills and three blocks while Taylor
King posted a match-high four blocks. Naomi Iwata led the way with
14 digs as Victoria Peng and Isabel Custodio dished out 17 and 16
assists, respectively.
The early moments of the match were closely played as a tip by
Joujon-Roche off a Wellesley block brought the Engineers within one
(6-5). The Blue picked up six out of the next seven points and
eventually held a 17-10 advantage. A kill by Li to go along with a
trio of miscues narrowed the Engineers’ deficit to three
(17-14). This was as close as it would get as Wellesley posted
eight unanswered points to end the set.
In the second stanza, the Engineers inched out to an 8-7 edge. The
brief lead was quickly erased as the Blue mounted an 18-5 run to
win the game. The pivotal spree featured a string of 11 consecutive
points that put Wellesley ahead for good.
The Blue established a 4-2 lead in the third set, but MIT captured
six out of the next eight points to take the advantage. Five ties
followed until a hitting error put Wellesley in front, 13-12. The
Engineers stayed within one point on three occasions before a 4-1
spurt gave the Blue a 20-16 margin. The scoring went back-and-forth
to wrap up the match.




