MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College volleyball team on Saturday closed September with its ninth straight win, a 25-13, 25-13, 25-13 victory over visiting Colby (2-9, 0-4 NESCAC). The Panthers improved to 11-2, 4-0 in league play, and return to the court Friday, when they host Connecticut College at 8 p.m., and Saturday, when they host Wesleyan at 2 p.m.
In the first set the Panthers rattled off nine straight points, including three straight kills by Becca Raffel, to snap a 7-7 tie and were not threatened afterward.
In the second set they went on a 6-1 run for a decisive 14-7 lead, with Sarah Staver producing a pair of kills during the surge.
The Panthers took control with an early 10-2 run in the third set, highlighted by three kills from Isabel Sessions.
Raffel and Eliana Schaefer paced a balanced Middlebury offense with 11 kills each. Sessions and Staver chipped in with eight and seven kills, respectively, while Emma Walsh handed out a match-high 32 assists to go along 12 digs. Gigi Alper tallied a match-high 14 digs, and Emily Kolodka added 11 digs for the Panthers. Schaefer and Staver both finished with four blocks. Middlebury limited Colby to an .038 hitting percentage, while the Panthers hit .393 as a team in the sweep.