Bleachers were packed in the Hurst Courts on Nov. 11 as No.4 Clark hosted No.5 for the NEWMAC volleyball Quarterfinals. Being the first time since 2016 that the Cougars have hosted a NEWMAC volleyball Tournament, Clarkies made sure to show support for the team as they battled for a chance at a title win. However, Clarkies were met with dismay as the Cougars fell short, losing the Tournament in four sets.
Clark began the Tournament strong, defeating Babson in the first set 23-25. Babson scored the first two points of the match, leaving Clark at a deficit of 2-0. The Cougars quickly recovered, returning the deficit as they painted the scoreboard 3-5 from points scored by senior Camille Sterling, graduate student Victoria Pastor, junior Yumeng Liu and senior Emily Newman. Newman continued putting pressure against the Beavers as she executed a stunning serve, granting a service ace against Babson providing the team a 4-8 lead. This was shortly followed by a kill from graduate student Victoria Pastor assisted by Newman making the score 6-9. The teams kept a steady pace against each other, with Clark averaging about 2 points ahead through the later half of the first set. Tensions were high leading up to the game point, as Babson and Clark had tied 23-23. The Beavers were ultimately unable to surpass this score however, as a kill by Pastor followed by a service ace from Liu led Clark to victory in the first set.
The Cougars were unable to continue this successful pattern as Babson took the second set 25-17. Quickly falling short, Clark found themselves trailing behind the Beavers as Isabella Allen executed a kill from Zoe Ackerman forcing the Cougars into a four point deficit of 8-4. Clark was able to cut the deficit in half with a kill by graduate student Sofia Scherrer del Llano, marking the scoreboard 12-10. The Beavers denied Clark from improving their position, scoring an additional three points against the Cougars. Scherrer del Llano provided Clark with their last score of the set, executing a kill that would make the score 24-17. With the Cougars being unable to recover, Beaver Lauren Gips executed the game-winning kill.
Babson capitalized on their success, continuing the third set with a 25-23 win over Clark. Senior Yvanna Torres scored the first point of the set with a service ace. The Beavers quickly came back with several kills, with the exception of a service error, making the scoreboard 5-2. Clark then bounced back into action, keeping a steady 1 to 2 points behind the Beavers. That was until an attack error by graduate student Camille Flurry granted Babson their eighth point, leaving the Cougars trailing three points behind. The Cougars continued to rally as scores from Torres, Scherrer del Llano, and errors from Babson cut the deficit to 12-11. However, the Cougars fell back behind the Beavers as Babson executed a series of point scoring moves to extend their lead 18-13. Rallying, the Cougars did not give up as they tied the game 19-19 with a game-changing kill from freshman Isabella Alcott. From here, Clark kept a steady pace against the Beavers until a series of errors on behalf of the Cougars granted Babson a 24-21 lead. A kill by Pastor and a Babson error kept the game active as Clark approached the Beavers 24-23. Unable to regain success, a kill by Gips granted Babson a second win, and Clark’s second loss.
Finishing the Quarterfinal game in the fourth set, Clark pushed Babson to a 27 point win. Gips gave Babson the first point of the set. The entire set was close, as Clark and Babson trailed each other. A service ace from Scherrer del Llano gave the teams their first tie of the set at 3-3. Errors on behalf of Clark allowed Babson their fourth, fifth, and sixth points. While a kill by Pastor gave Clark their fourth points, errors on behalf of Babson granted Clark their fifth and sixth, tying the game once again. Clark took the lead 7-9 with kills by Pastor and Flurry. The Beavers quickly caught up, keeping the game tied into 13-13. A series of kills by Pastor, Scherrer del Llano, and Flurry, as well as a service ace from Newman led the Cougars 16-18. Continuing in dominance, Clark led 19-22 with an attack error from Beaver Hailey Fouche and a kill from Pastor. Babson picked up speed though, resulting in a 24-24 tie. First to reach 25, Beaver Allen executed a game-altering kill against the Cougars. Pastor returned the favor with a kill from Newman, scoreboard tying at 25-25. The Cougars were unable to capitalize on the tie, with kills from Beavers Allen and Fouche delivering a 27 point win in the fourth set, eliminating the Cougars from the NEWMAC Championship.
