CLINTON, N.Y. - Less than 24 hours after a five-set marathon at Middlebury, the Bates volleyball team bounced back Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 NESCAC victory over Hamilton College at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.
The Bobcats (10-2, 2-2 NESCAC) earned the road split with a 25-23, 18-25, 28-26, 25-20 victory over the Continentals (5-5, 1-4 NESCAC).
Bates hit .248 for the match while holding Hamilton to .164, finishing with 55 kills against 17 attack errors. The Bobcats were especially effective in the opening set, hitting .364, before closing the afternoon by limiting Hamilton to a .026 hitting percentage in the fourth.
Sofia Castiglioni (Sr.) led a balanced Bates attack with 12 kills on 27 swings and a .333 hitting percentage, while Malina Young (Jr.) added 10 kills and 16 digs. Anaïs Reneaum (Jr.) delivered nine kills on just 16 attempts (.375) and was a force at the net with two solo blocks and four block assists.
The opening set was tight throughout. Hamilton used a four-point run to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 advantage before the teams continued to trade momentum. The Continentals eventually built a 17-12 lead, but Bates chipped away and drew even at 18-18 on back-to-back service aces from Alice Fischer (Fy.).
Hamilton went back in front 21-18, but the Bobcats answered again. A Fischer kill and a shared block by Nora Gilmer (Jr.) and Castiglioni, pulled Bates even at 22-22 before Young delivered kills for the Bobcats' 23rd and 24th points. Gilmer then ended the set with a service ace for the 25-23 victory.
Hamilton responded in the second, overcoming an early 7-1 Bates advantage. The Continentals went ahead 12-10 during a seven-point run and eventually pulled away for a 25-18 victory to level the match.
The pivotal third set featured seven ties and three lead changes.
Neither side could create separation down the stretch, with Bates trailing 23-22 before a Hamilton attack error tied the score. Castiglioni answered another Hamilton point with a kill to make it 24-24, and the teams traded points until a three-point spurt down the stretch provided Bates a 28-26 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Bates seized control immediately in the fourth, racing out to a 10-3 advantage. Hamilton trimmed the margin to four at 18-14, but Bates responded with three straight points, highlighted by kills from Bartley-Cohen and Castiglioni, to push the advantage back to 21-14. The Continentals made one final push, closing within 24-20, before Bartley-Cohen finished the match with a kill for the 25-20 victory.
Bartley-Cohen provided a spark with five kills on 11 attempts without an error, hitting .455 while adding eight digs in two sets of action. Fischer finished with 14 assists and three aces, while Lauren Croom (Jr.) handed out a team-high 17 assists. Gilmer added seven kills, 13 assists and six digs. Logan Yogi (Sr.) collected 15 digs.
Bates returns home Friday for a NESCAC matchup against Connecticut College in Underhill Arena. First serve is at 6:00 p.m.
