Tribe Falls to Villanova, 3-2

09/15/07 11:45PM

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The William and Mary volleyball team fell to Villanova, 3-2 (23-30, 30-28, 21-30, 30-26, 15-7), in the final match of the Villanova Classic on Saturday evening. Freshman Erin Skipper represented the Tribe on the all-tournament team after averaging 4.56 kills per game on .304 hitting at the event.

Skipper led W&M (4-8) versus the Wildcats (8-4) with a team-high 20 kills on a .380 hitting percentage (20-1-50). Sophomore Lauren Powell totaled 16 put-aways, while freshman Ginny Bray finished with 11 kills on .348 hitting (11-3-23) and eight total blocks. Junior Kim Mount dished out 57 assists.

The Tribe jumped out to a 7-1 lead early in the initial game but had its advantage cut to just two, 12-10, shortly thereafter. The College responded with a 6-1 run, however, and led by at least four points during the remainder of the frame.

W&M opened up a 13-7 lead midway though the second set, but Villanova charged back with a 7-1 run to even the score at 14. While the Tribe reclaimed a five-point lead, 27-22, after a VU attack error, the Wildcats tallied eight of the final nine points to win the game.

With the score knotted at 7-7 in the third game, the Green and Gold utilized a 7-1 run to build a comfortable advantage. Villanova was unable to get closer than four points the rest of the way, as the Tribe claimed the set.

While the College fell behind 9-5 early in the fourth frame, it quickly responded and closed within a single point, 11-10, after a VU service error. However, the Wildcats answered with a 5-1 run to reclaim a significant advantage. While the Tribe narrowed the gap to just one, 25-24, following a service ace by junior Jo Sotto, Villanova recorded five of the final seven points to send the match to a fifth game.

The Tribe fell behind 9-2 in the fifth set and was unable to get closer than five points the rest of the way, as Villanova completed the comeback victory.

W&M will return to action when it plays at Norfolk State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Box Score