Coming off a tough couple of weeks, Middlebury volleyball bounced back on Senior Weekend with a 3–0 sweep of Amherst, followed by a 3–1 win over Hamilton, punctuated by outside hitter Molly Harrison ’27’s thousandth career kill — an exclamation point on her standout year.
The Panthers beat Amherst comfortably, winning each set by at least six points and holding Amherst to a mere 51 total points in the sweep. The Hamilton game, however, was a gritty, nailbiting contest where the Continentals gave Middlebury a run for their money. To the casual observer, the game was not Middlebury’s most dominant performance, but student assistant Spencer Ralph ’28.5 painted a different picture: “We actually had one of our best statistical performances [against Hamilton], with our highest assist (54) and kill tallies (64) of the season.”
Middlebury’s .341 hitting percentage against Amherst and .263 percentage versus Hamilton were both top-6 in the season, and their best numbers since their game against Bates on October third. The Panthers’ hitting prowess was evident in the first set against Hamilton. Middle hitter Ava Tuccio ’26 helped the Panthers to an early lead with two key kills, while precise hitting from Harrison and Gabby Pribisich ’27 sealed the set.
So what changed? How did the team bounce back from a tough month? One explanation is the return of outside hitter and captain Lillian Caldwell ’26, who had been out of the starting lineup most of the year. Caldwell provided an immediate spark, notching 11 kills on Friday and 14 on Saturday. On the court, she was unflappable. Off it, “she’s one of the best teammates I’ve seen or had in sports,” Ralph said.
The week before, the team also trained relentlessly. “We didn’t ‘break down’ as much this week, but rather went full steam ahead with six-on-six scrimmages,” head coach Sarah Raunecker ’92 said.
Now turning to the NESCAC playoffs: The Panthers drew Williams, a solid team but one that Middlebury beat in five sets earlier this season. If Middlebury gets past Williams, they would face #6-ranked Colby College in the second round as they look to carry their momentum into the tournament.
Kanan Clifford '28.5 (he/him) is a Sports Editor.
Kanan is a probable Molecular Biology/Biochemistry major, with additional interests in history and politics. At Middlebury, he sails, is on the board of the South Asian Students Association, and is an avid baker!
