Box Score Babson Park, MA --- WPI won the final two sets to rally for a 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13) victory over Babson College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's volleyball action on Tuesday night at Staake Gymnasium.
With the win, WPI is now 12-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while Babson, which is ninth in the NEWVA poll, drops to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the NEWMAC.
Sophomore Melissa Daigle (Norfolk, MA) smashed 18 kills and first-year Casey Hunt (Granby, Conn.) added 12 kills and 16 digs for the Engineers. Junior Shay Feeley (Andover, MA) finished with 22 assists and nine digs, while classmate Cassandra Tomerlin (La Quinta, CA) contributed a team-high 24 digs and three service aces and Azita Bakhtyari (Andover, MA) notched 13 assists and 16 digs
Senior Mary Donahue (Braintree, MA) finished with a career-high 22 kills. The senior hit .392 and added six digs, three service aces and two blocks for the Beavers. Junior Jenny Karnes (Houston, TX) matched her career high with 13 kills to go along with four blocks, senior Krissy Robertson (Dedham, MA) led all players with 31 assists and classmate Elizabeth Sullivan (Quincy, MA) recorded a match-high 32 digs in the loss.
The Green and White never trailed in the opening set and took its biggest lead of the frame at 20-10 with three straight points on the serve of junior Kristen Haislip (Waterford, VA). WPI came right back though, recording 11 kills and hitting .233 in game two to even the match at a set apiece.
The third set featured 10 ties and four lead changes before the Beavers emerged with a 2-1 lead after hitting .472 and registering 20 kills. The Engineers answered again though, as they built an early lead in game four and then scored six of the final eight points of the frame to force a decisive fifth set.
After five early ties, WPI took the lead for good with four straight points, three of which came on Babson errors. The Beavers erased a three-point deficit to pull even at 11, but Daigle produced three late kills as the Engineers closed out their first victory over the Green and White since 2011.
Babson returns to action on Friday when it opens play at the Endicott Invitational against Moravian at 6pm, while WPI hosts Smith in a NEWMAC clash on Thursday at 7pm.
Release Courtesy Babson Sports Information
