Dartmouth Dominates on Day One of Road Tournament

Friday, September 3

Bethlehem, Pa.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

1-0,0-0Ivy League

Binghamton

1-3,0-0America East

Dartmouth

Binghamton

Sophomore Ellie Blain

Photo by: Brent Hugo

Dartmouth Dominates on Day One of Road Tournament

9/3/2021 9:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photos Photo Gallery

By: Charlotte Brackett

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Dartmouth volleyball started the fall off on a good note, winning both of its matches against Binghamton (25-15, 25-17, 25-14) and Lehigh (24-26, 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 15-13) on day one of the Lehigh Steel Tournament.

"I am so proud of our team today for both matches, but especially the one tonight against Lehigh," head coach Gilad Doron said. "We fell behind, 2-0, and I felt that we controlled both games, but were playing tight at the end. Once we settled and started playing our game with more trust in one another, we started making winning plays. Our team fought hard to get back into the game and even when the score got tight in game five, we didn't back down and we finished strong."

Binghamton
Ellie Blain looked good with her 16 kills, while Karen Murphy had 31 assists and Emma Engstrom led with 16 digs.

Dartmouth started off well and soon had a 4-1 edge following kills by Blain (2), Amelia Gibbs and Francesca Meldrum. The Bearcats took advantage of some Big Green errors to get within a one, but six straight Dartmouth points – including a pair of consecutive aces by Meldrum – put some distance between the teams (11-5). It stayed pretty even over the next few minutes, with the Green managing to keep comfortably ahead (18-11). A handful of Binghamton errors got Dartmouth closer to victory, while one last kill by Blain sealed the deal (25-15).

The score was tied five times at the beginning of the second set, with the Bearcats breaking the tie and pulling a few points ahead (10-8). There were two more ties before some Binghamton errors, kills by Blain, Murphy and Meldrum and an ace gave Dartmouth some breathing room (20-14). The opponent did get within three at the end, but five straight for the Big Green made it a 2-0 match (25-17).

Dartmouth came out ready to go in the third set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead thanks to seven kills by Gibbs, Blain and Grover. The Bearcats started to make its way into the game but would never get closer than five points behind. Errors plagued the other team and the Big Green soon led, 21-13. Dartmouth allowed Binghamton just one more point, while an ace by Engstrom and a set-ending kill by Emma Moffet wrapped things up neatly (25-14).

Lehigh
Three players had double-doubles in the second match: Murphy (32A 19D), Blain (21K, 11D) and Makenzie Arent (11A, 15D).

What started off in Lehigh's favor shifted over the net until the Big Green sported a 12-10 edge, but the host didn't stay down for long. Five ties later and with the score at 16-16, Dartmouth managed to stay just ahead (22-21). A Mountain Hawk error and an ace by Bella Hedley made it set point for the Green, but they were held there while Lehigh caught up (24-23). The Mountain Hawks got two in a row to take a one-point lead, walking away with the win following a block assist (24-26).

The start of the second set was a similar story: Dartmouth got two points ahead, Lehigh tied it up and the cycle repeated all over again. A kill by Grover put the visitors up by one, but three straight points on the other side of the net gave the Mount Hawks an 11-9 advantage. Three ties later, Lehigh had a 16-14 lead, while a host of errors on both sides tied it up once again (17-17). It stayed very close and, following kills by Hedley and Gibbs, the score was locked at 23-all. A pair of Lehigh kills gave another win to the home team (23-25).

Murphy's ace kicked off the third on a good note before a three-point run for the Mountain Hawks gave them the advantage. Lehigh tried to put some space between them, but Dartmouth worked hard to keep up, and kills by Meldrum, Blain and Bomi Ogunlari and too many Lehigh errors put the Green ahead following an 8-2 run (12-8). The home team started to work its way back until big kills by Blain and Grover helped create the biggest deficit of the night (18-13). A 5-2 run by the Mountain Hawks made it a two-point game until more Lehigh errors saw Dartmouth once again sitting at set point. A kill by Blain gave the Green their first win of the evening (25-20).

Play in the fourth set was back and forth until kills by Grover and Gibbs put the Big Green up, 9-4. Dartmouth kept that momentum going, capitalizing on Lehigh errors and adding some kills of its own to remain ahead (17-10). The Mountain Hawks got within three, but committed too many errors, which allowed the Big Green to go up by eight (21-13). Kills by Ogunlari and Meldrum sent the game to the fifth set (25-15).

It was Lehigh that came out strong in the fifth, picking up four consecutive points (4-1). Dartmouth worked its way back with a good run of its own following kills by Grover and Blain until the set was tied at 7-7. The Mountain Hawks took a two-point lead only to have the Green jump ahead by two (11-9). Lehigh edged its way closer and, with the teams trading kills, got within one point (13-12). A kill by Taite Ryan got the Big Green to match point, but a kill on the other side kept it within one. Meldrum delivered the final blow to complete the comeback (15-13).

Dartmouth will play one more match against St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 p.m. on Saturday.