Women's Volleyball at the New England Challenge
Friday, October 20 | vs. Tufts | 7 p.m. 
Saturday, October 21 | at Williams, 11 a.m. | vs. Middlebury, 3:30 p.m. 
Chandler Gymnasium | Williamstown, Mass. 

WHAT TO KNOW
•    The Babson women's volleyball team travels to Williams for the eighth edition of the New England Challenge, which features three of the top program's from the NEWMAC taking on three of the best from the NESCAC, on Friday and Saturday
•    The Beavers play the first of three matches against Tufts on Friday night before facing the host Ephs and Middlebury on Saturday. 

SERIES HISTORY
vs. Tufts
•    Babson is just 2-20 all-time against Tufts in a series that dates back to 1980. 
•    The Beavers lost 3-0 at last year's New England Challenge before rallying from two sets down before falling 25-19, 28-26, 15-25, 16-25, 15-9 to the Jumbos in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last November. 

vs. Williams
•    Babson is 3-7 all-time versus the Ephs in a series that goes back to 2002. 
•    The Beavers had two straight matches against Williams before suffering a four-set loss last October. 

vs. Middlebury
•    The Beavers are 3-5 all-time against Middlebury in a series that dates back to 2015. 
•    Babson has dropped its last two matches to the Panthers on the heels of back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019. 

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
•    Babson (19-2) saw its 16-match winning streak come to an end in a 3-0 loss at Clark on Tuesday night. 
•    Senior Lulu McShane finished with eight kills, classmate Erin Gray added seven kills and first-year Zoe Ackerman handed out 22 assists for the Beavers, who recorded their second lowest hitting percentage of the season (.096). 
•    Gray (3.05 k/s) and first-year Allison Molendyk (3.03 k/s) both rank in the top 10 in the NEWMAC in kills per set, junior Lauren Gips is averaging 2.49 kills per set and ranks in the top 20 in Division III in both hitting percentage (.383) and blocks per set (1.13), and McShane is contributing 2.30 kills per set while hitting at a .246 clip. 
•    Ackerman is dishing out 6.97 assists per set, sophomore Roz Cabuena is averaging a team-high 4.69 digs per set and junior Tatum Stelter leads the Green and White in both total digs (215) and service aces (45). 

SCOUTING THE JUMBOS
•    Tufts (10-7) enters the weekend riding a four-match winning streak after rallying for a 3-1 victory at Brandeis on Tuesday night. 
•    Claire Castor registered 15 kills, Maddie Yu finished with 22 assists, 10 digs and four aces, and Megan Harrison added 18 digs and 10 assists for the Jumbos, who hit .245 over the final three sets. 
•    Tori Goldin is averaging 2.69 kills and 2.17 digs per set, Rileigh Farragher is contributing 2.35 kills per set and Emma Heckman (2.33 k/s) is hitting .272 and is second on the team with 35 total blocks. 
•    Yu is handing out a team-high 5.19 assists to go along with 2.43 digs per set, while Harrison is averaging 4.37 digs per set. 

SCOUTING THE EPHS
•    Williams (11-6) snapped a three-match skid with a 3-0 victory over Endicott last Saturday. 
•    Celia Adams had 14 kills, Marit Hoyem finished with nine kills and four blocks and the duo of Lauren Kauppila and Morgan Daetz both handed out 18 assists for the Ephs, who hit a season-best .333 against the Gulls. 
•    Adams is averaging 2.85 kills and 2.31 digs per set, Hoyem (2.64 k/s, 0.72 b/s) is hitting .311 and Keely Campuzano is contributing 2.49 kills per set to go along with a .275 hitting percentage. 
•    Kauppila is handing out 9.05 assists per set and leads the squad with 44 service aces, while Sidra Wohlwend is averaging a team-high 4.39 digs per set. 

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
•    Middlebury (12-5) has won 10 of its last 12 matches and s coming off a three-set sweep of Bates last Saturday. 
•    Katie Kraczkowsky had 11 digs kills and 10 digs, Molly Harrison put away 10 kills and Gabbie O'Toole handed out 28 assists for the Panthers, who hit .304 in the victory. 
•    Harrison (3.69 k/s) is hitting .291 and is second on the team with 39 total blocks, Kraczkowsky is averaging 2.51 kills and 2.20 digs and Lauren Baxter is providing 1.82 kills per set. 
•    O'Toole is handing out 9.44 assists per set and averaging 2.80 digs per set, while Kelly Ferrero is first on the team in both total digs (262) and digs per set (5.35). 

NEW ENGLAND CHALLENGE HISTORY
•    The Beavers are 8-12 all-time in the New England Challenge, which was played for the first time back in 2015. 
•    The Green and White went a perfect 3-0 back in 2019 and has won at least one match in every season except 2017 and 2022. 
•    Babson is 1-4 in five previous matches in Williamstown, which hosted the even in both 2017 and 2021. 

2022 TOURNAMENT TRENDS
•    Senior Ruby Reich handed out 8.25 assists per set in two matches at last year's event. 
•    Stelter led the Beavers with 54 total digs and a 4.91 digs per set average, while senior Olivia Leinenweber contributed 2.00 digs per set. 
•    Gips provided team highs of 2.50 kills and 0.88 digs per set in three matches at last season's tournament. 

VETERAN PRODUCTION
•    Gray, who returned to the court on Tuesday after missing wins over Simmons and Salve Regina, has finished with at least seven kills in each of her last 17 outings. 
•    McShane has recorded six or more kills in 17 of 21 matches this fall. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW
•    The Beavers rank 11th in Division III in opponent hitting percentage (.086). 
•    Babson is 11-2 in road and neutral matches this fall. 
•    The Green and White is 16-0 when winning the first set and 3-2 when it drops the first set this season. 
•    Over the last 23 matches going back to the NCAA Tournament last November, the Beavers have finished with more kills than their opponents 22 times. 

UP NEXT
•    Babson concludes a run of six consecutive matches away from home at Smith on Tuesday, October 24.