The second-seeded Middlebury volleyball team put on a show on Friday, recording 49 kills to secure a 3-0 sweep of fourth-seeded, and defending NESCAC Champion, Wesleyan in the conference semifinals. With the victory, the Panthers advance to the championship match on Saturday afternoon, where they play top-seeded Colby as the program seeks its sixth crown. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury came out firing in the opening set, racing to an 11-3 edge with four kills from Molly Harrison. 
• The Cardinals chipped away at the deficit, pulling within four (13-9) on a run sparked by a kill from India Clark.
• Wesleyan later put together a 9-4 spurt to take a one-point edge (18-17). 
• The Panthers stayed the course by securing the final three points to clinch the opener, 25-18.
• The Cardinals flipped the script to begin the second with two kills each from Clark and Morgan Mattson, helping build a 10-4 advantage and force a stoppage.
• The lead swelled to eight (14-6) before a Gabby Pribisich kill sparked four-consecutive points by Middlebury to slice the lead to 14-10.
• Wesleyan continued to keep the edge until the 21-16 mark. Lillian Caldwell's kill set off a firestorm, as the Panthers grabbed their first lead of the set at 22-21. 
• Pribisch, Devin McCormack and Ava Tuccio tallied three-consecutive kills to secure the  25-22 second-set win. 
• Middlebury kept the train rolling in the third, jumping out to a 10-5 advantage off six kills, three Wesleyan miscues and a block by Harrison and Tuccio.
• The Cardinals continued to search for an edge with Michelle Jorba recording back-to-back kills paired with a Panther attack error to get within four at 16-12.
• Wesleyan found a turning point a couple of points later. A Middlebury error swelled into five-consecutive points for the Cardinals with back-to-back kills from Mattson and two aces from Elliana Moreno to knot the set at 19 apiece.
• The run did not dampen the Panther spirit, as a 6-1 spurt put the squad on the doorstep of clinching. Pribisich closed it out in style with her ninth kill of the match to secure the set (25-20) and push Middlebury into the championship match.

NOTES

• Harrison tallied her 18th double-double of the campaign with 15 kills and a career-best 27 digs.
• O'Toole handed out 41 assists in Friday's victory, marking the 12th time she has dished out 40 or more this season. She also played in her 100th career match in the navy and white.
• Annabella Rando's 17 digs are the 20th-straight instance of 10 or more.
• Middlebury and Wesleyan matched up for the 35th time and second meeting in the NESCAC Tournament. The Cardinals hold a slim 18-17 edge in the series, but the Panthers have secured three-consecutive contests, each coming this season.
• Friday's semifinal bout was the 11th appearance in program history.

Middlebury moves on to the NESCAC Championship on Saturday against #14 Colby at 3:00 p.m. It will be the Panthers' fifth appearance in the title game and their first since 2016. The Mules advanced to the championship with a 3-0 triumph over sixth-seeded Williams.