WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. —The Williams College volleyball (27-4) defeated Babson (27-9) in three sets in the NCAA Division III Regional on Saturday.

 

Williams will continue on Saturday to the final round at 4 p.m. against the Bowdoin College Polar Bears.

 

The Eph attackers were well-spread, with Tori Jasuta and Katherine Lane scoring 11 and 10 kills, while Raea Rasmussen and Catherine Egan each scored 8. Ryan Farley served up 3 service aces and dished out 39 assists. Tori Jasuta and Amanda Schott manned the backline, gathering 15 and 13 digs, respectively.

 

Coach Christi Kelsey commented on tomorrow’s final, “It’s going to be a great match; it’s awesome to have an all NESCAC final.”

 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Kristi Kirshe scored two goals to lead the Williams women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Lasell in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Saturday.

 

Audrey Thomas assisted on both goals, and Hannah Van Wetter made two saves for Williams (17-1-1).

 

"Both of the goals were perfectly set up for me," Kirshe said. "All I had to do was put the ball in the back of the net, so a lot of the credit has to go to the team, especially Audrey [Thomas], who was making the plays and giving me perfect balls in front of the net."

 

Williams hosts Ithaca in the second round on Sunday at 1 p.m. on Cole Field.

 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

BABSON PARK, Mass. —Opening-day rust abounded in Staake Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, as the Williams and Rhode Island College women's basketball teams combined for just 17 points in the game's first eight minutes.

 

Evenutally, though, the Ephs hit their stride, as they scored the first eight and final seven points of the second half en route to a 59-47 victory in their first game of the Babson Tip-Off Classic.

 

Leading the way for the Ephs was Katie Litman, who shot 5-of-8 from the field and notched a double-double by pulling down 13 rebounds to go with her 11 points. Overall, though, the game's scoreline matched its gritty nature, as the two teams managed almost identical shooting percentages, with the Ephs (36 percent) holding only a slight edge over the Anchorwomen (34 percent).

 

"I give Rhode Island a lot of credit," said Williams coach Pat Manning. "They're very quick and they came after us. Our shooting percentage is probably a reflection of their defense."

 

The Ephs conclude the tournament Sunday afternoon with an afternoon tilt against Vassar, which eliminated the Ephs in the first round of the NCAA tournament this past spring. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.