Williamstown, Mass. — Colby defeated Williams, 3–1 (21–25, 25–16, 25–18, 25–23), on Friday night at the Chandler Athletic Center, improving to 14–1 overall and 4–1 in the NESCAC conference. After dropping the opening frame, the Mules controlled the match with a 10–0 advantage from the service line and a 10–8 edge in total blocks, out-hitting the Ephs .196 to .140 while finishing with a 69.0–54.0 lead in total points.
Williams claimed the first set behind timely side-outs, but Colby reset immediately in the second as
Gabby Grujic opened with an ace and
Jordan Lee added another to help establish an early lead. The offense line asserted itself with blocks from
Sydney Bopp,
Sarah Friedrichs and
Brady Moseley, and the frame closed 25–16 on an
LJ Grant kill from Lee. The Mules carried that momentum into the third, where Lee's ace and a Moseley service winner keyed a mid-set surge; Colby sealed the set 25–18 on another Grant kill from Grujic. In a tight fourth set, Colby raced to a 6–0 start on Grujic's serve, featuring kills from
Kendall Glover,
Cyanne Jones, and Grant, in addition to a block assist from Jones and
Hayley Beigh. Despite a late push from Williams,
Reese Loyd's service ace nudged Colby back in front at 17–16, and the Mules closed out the match 25–23 on a Grujic ace.
Grant led Colby with 12 kills and 12 digs, Moseley added 11 kills and contributed in defense, and Jones finished with eight kills and a match-high six blocks. Grujic directed the attack with 21 assists and three aces, Lee supplied 16 assists and three aces, and Bopp impacted the net with four blocks while adding an ace during the set-two run. Loyd anchored the back row with 12 digs. Colby finished ahead in kills (49–46), assists (43–42), aces (10–0), and blocks (10–8).
Next, the Mules will travel to Middlebury on Saturday, Oct. 11, for a 2:00 p.m. NESCAC matchup in Middlebury, Vt., looking to extend their five-match winning streak.
