Box Score BABSON PARK, Mass.— The red-hot Babson College women's volleyball team swept Eastern Connecticut State University Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium, but the Beavers had to work for their 14th straight victory – 16th in a row at home in the regular season.
At right: Adrianna Mihalek stayed hot against Babson, attacking at .320 to improve her percentage in the last six matches to .273. (Photo by Jennifer Shuler)
Eastern (11-10) commited only five reception errors, but Babson (19-5) attacked at .255 in taking three sets by a total of 13 points – 25-21, 25-19, 25-22 – to emerge with its first win ever over the Warriors in this nine-match series and stop their modest three-match winning streak.
Babson used three early kills to build an 11-4 first-set lead. Eastern – which has won just once in four matches this year on its opponent's home court -- got back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Adrianna Mihalek (Woodbury) and sophomore middle Kay Mullen (Fairhaven, MA), followed by a Beavers' error to pull back within 12-9, but got no closer as Babson recorded 13 kills and hit .273 in the opening frame.
The second set featured 11 ties and nine lead changes before Babson finally took control for good with a run of five straight points at the midway point of the game. Trailing 13-12, the Beavers got three kills to build a 17-13 lead. The Warriors got within three on three occasions, the last coming at 19-16, but the hosts responded each time, getting late kills from four different players to open a two-set advantage.
Eastern jumped ahead early in the third set and opened its biggest lead of the day at 13-8 on a service ace by sophomore defensive specialist Nina Zimmitti (East Hampton). Babson rallied to get back within a point six times before finally tying the game at 21-21 on a service ace. After a Warriors' timeout, Babson came through with another ace to give the Beavers' their first lead, and after three straight attack errors, Babson closed out the match.
Mihalek attached at .320 and led all players with ten kills for the Warriors, giving last year's Little East Conference Rookie-of-the-Year a .273 attack percentage over the last six matches to raise her season percentage to .181.
Mullen added nine kills but attacked at only .038, senior setter Allie Henry (Middletown) a match-high 21 assists, and junior libero Allie Luppi (Tewksbury, MA) a match-high 20 digs. Luppi was also successful on 16 of 17 serve receives and matched Zimmitti with two service aces.
Five-foot-11 inch Junior Krissy Robertson had nine kills and hit .368 to go along with 13 assists and six digs for Babson, which tied its program record for wins. Junior Mary Donahue and sophomore Lorraine Mackiewicz – both standing 6-foot-2 -- each had six kills, while 6-foot-1 inch junior Mary Martin and 5-foot-10 inch junior Alicia Wilde and six-foot sophomore Alana Atchison all contributed four kills apiece. Junior Angela Price dished out a team-high 15 assists, and senior Kseniya Pulido led Babson with 18 digs.
Eastern travels to Rhode Island College Tuesday for a 7 p.m. Little East Conference match.
