Mount Holyoke Box
Wellesley Box

WELLESLEY, MA (October 9, 2011) – The Vassar College women's volleyball team saw its hopes dashed for a repeat Seven Sisters Championship on Sunday, when a strong Wellesley College team defeated the Brewers 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20) in the final match of the championship.

Vassar arrived in the final against Wellesley with a 3-0 record after a 3-0 morning victory over Mount Holyoke College (25-15, 25-14, 25-15). The host Blue proved a formidable opponent in the championship match, capturing the title back from the Brewers, who defeated Wellesley in the 2009 event held at Smith College.

For their performances in the four matches, senior Amy Bavosa and freshman Marie Pitre were named to the All-Seven Sisters Championship Team.

The Brewers, now 14-9 on the season, will return to Liberty League play on Wednesday, October 12 with a home match against Bard College at 7:00 p.m. Wellesley improves to 14-6 and next hosts Springfield in a NEWMAC contest on October 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Wellesley 3, Vassar 2 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20)
Without the benefit of large scoring runs, Wellesley gradually built a 17-13 advantage, eventually taking the set 25-18. The Blue carried the momentum into set two, charging out to a 9-2 lead, courtesy of an eight-point service run from Vivian Hu. The Brewers made a mini-run midway through the set, but Wellesely coasted to a 25-14 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set three was a see-saw affair, as the squads traded sideouts until 13-13. The Blue broke away with six straight points, but Vassar replied with five of their own to put the score at 19-18. Wellesley then grabbed six of the final eight points to seal the sweep with a the 25-20 win.

Against the Blue, the Brewers were led by Bavosa with 11 kills and five kills each from both Pitre and fellow freshman Taylor Mosley. Junior Hilary Koenigs accounted for 24 of Vassar's 25 kills. The defensive effort was spearheaded by sophomore Aoife Feighery with nine digs and Mosley's six.

Vassar 3, Mount Holyoke 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-15)
After trading points in the early rallies of the first set, the Brewers broke away with five consecutive points for a 13-7 lead and cruised to a 25-15 win. The Lyons responded in set two, taking a 13-9 advantage in the early going, with two runs from Alison Chu and Martina Kneifel. But an 11-point serving run from Vassar junior Cebe Loomis quickly put the game out of reach, with the Brewers grabbing a 25-14 win. In set three, the Lyons once again took the early lead, 8-6, on a serving series from Chu. Vassar surged back to take 17-12 advantage, and finished the set with five unanswered points, taking the third and final game 25-15.

Pitre led the Brewers with 11 kills on 20 attempts without an attack error. She hit .550 for the match. Koenigs had 28 set assists in distributing the ball to eight different players who had kills in the match. Feighery had 14 digs and Mosley set a new career-high with 12 digs. Sophomore Rose Carman earned 10 digs, her third double figures effort in the four matches played in the tournament.

Final Standings
1. Wellesley, 4-0, 2011 Seven Sisters Volleyball Champion
1. Vassar, 3-1
3. Bryn Mawr, 2-2
4. Smith, 1-3
5. Mount Holyoke, 0-4

2011 All Seven Sisters Volleyball Team
Katie Merrill, Bryn Mawr College
Mikecia Witherspoon, Bryn Mawr College
Martina Kneifel, Mount Holyoke College
Kaleen Iwema, Mount Holyoke College
Rosa Drummond, Smith College
Blair Bell, Smith College
Amy Bavosa, Vassar College
Marie Pitre, Vassar College
Amanda Duritsch, Wellesley College
Sydney Carfagno, Wellesley College, MVP