POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - Sophomore outside hitter Lydia Kurtz laid down a match-best 14 kills, including the deciding match point, to lead Williams College past Vassar College, 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-19) in non-conference action at Kenyon Hall on Wednesday evening. The Ephs move to 4-1 overall, while the Brewers are now 3-4 on the young season.

In addition to Kurtz (Cincinnati, OH), who also had nine digs and a block assist, Williams saw freshman Kiley Wallace (Los Angeles, CA) record 12 kills with two digs and match-high three block assists. Senior libero Daiana Takashima (Walnut Creek, CA) notched a match-best 16 digs and senior setter Alexandra Newton (Manhattan Beach, CA) paced the match with 21 assists to go along with 10 digs.

For Vassar, senior hitter Colette Cambey (Hillsborough, NC) recorded eight kills and a block assist. Sophomore setter Madison Wilson (Plano, TX) and freshman defensive specialist Kasey Drake (Sneads Ferry, NC) each notched 11 digs, while Wilson also recorded 15 assists. Sophomore setter Sara Ehnstrom (Kaneohe, HI) added four kills, 11 assists, a block solo, two block assists and seven digs.

It was a tight battle to open the match, but Vassar pulled ahead by a 15-10 margin following a service ace from senior hitter Jennifer Kerbs (Sacramento, CA). The two squads continued to battle until a kill from Wallace tied the set at 20-all. The Brewers regained the advantage, capitalizing on several attacking errors by the visitors, but three straight kills from Kurtz, sophomore middle hitter Olivia Hindy (Summit, NJ) and Wallace led to the 27-25 win for the Ephs.

The second set was another tight one as the squads were tied several times before Williams broke an 8-all tie behind a kill from Hindy. A 6-0 run pushed the Ephs further ahead 18-10, while a pair of strikes from Kurtz along with several VC errors gave the visitors the 25-15 victory.

In the third set, Vassar opened up a 7-5 lead, aided by a kill from Cambey, but a 12-0 run gave the visitors a dominant 17-7 advantage. The Brewers went on a 6-0 streak of their own late in the set, taking advantage of several Williams errors, but two kills from Kurtz sealed the match victory.

Vassar returns to action on Friday when it travels to Wesleyan for a 7pm contest. The Brewers will then battle Morrisville State (12pm) and Western Connecticut State (4pm) in Danbury, CT on Saturday. Williams heads to Schenectady, NY, to compete at the Union College Tournament beginning Friday against Plattsburgh State at 5:30pm.