By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Sports Editor
For the first time since 1994, Mount Holyoke Volleyball bested Wellesley College in a home match on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Lyons sprung back from a 2-0 disadvantage, winning the last three sets to defeat the Blue 3-2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15 and 15-10). The match was also the Lyons’ first triumph of the season over a fellow New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference member.
“It felt pretty good to finally beat Wellesley, especially since it’s my last season with the team. … I almost didn’t realize how big it was until our coach jumped up to celebrate with the team,” volleyball player Mar Simon ’23 said.
“Knowing that not only was this our first conference win of the season but that it had been 28 years since we had beaten them made the win all the more special and satisfying,” team member Lucie Berclaz ’25 said. “The fact that we had been down 2-0 at the beginning of the match and came back to win … really showed the resilience of our team.”
Leading the Lyons were Simon and Marion Abeja ’23, who secured 10 kills each. McKenna Crosby ’23, who had a match-high kill percentage of 0.389, captured eight kills while Elle Rimando ’26 made six, Madeline Barton ’26 made five and Berclaz and Sadie Duffrin ’26 made one apiece. Together, Mount Holyoke totaled 41 kills and a kill percentage of 0.162.
Berclaz had a match high of 17 digs, trailed by Abeja’s 15 digs and Barton’s 13 digs. Simon and Duffrin made nine digs each while Crosby claimed two digs. Overall, the Lyons performed 65 digs. Simon also had a match high of four service aces.
Mount Holyoke also counted 18 block assists, with five from Rimando, four from Crosby and Abeja, two from Simon and Duffrin and one from Barton. Rimando had the team’s only block solo of the match.
Mount Holyoke Volleyball’s season record is 7-7 overall. Next up, the Lyons will face Western New England University on Friday, Oct. 7, in a home match at 6 p.m.
“I have complete faith in [the team] to beat Wellesley again,” Simon said. “I can see this team making it a regular [routine to] win against Wellesley in [the] years to come.”