CAMBRIDGE - After coming from behind to win the final three games against Vassar, the Williams College women's volleyball team (9-3, 2-0) dropped two 3-2 matches en route to a fourth place finish in the MIT Invitational. The Ephs fell to host MIT in the first match (30-17, 32-34, 30-22, 26-30, 15-13) and then lost to Wellesley (30-19, 22-30, 26-30, 30-19, 15-10) later in the day.
Coming off a long night Friday, the Ephs showed signs of fatigue and were hampered by injuries most of the day. With starting first year setter Emily Avis and junior Molly Hunter already out for the day, the Ephs suffered another blow, as sophomore Chelsea Kubal's injury midway through the MIT match ended her day.
"[The MIT match] was a match between two good teams and we look forward to seeing them again down the road," said head coach Fran Vandermeer. "Our young players showed a lot of heart in that match to make adjustments defensively after game one."
After the aforementioned game one, the Ephs battled back to take a 2-1 lead and actually led the decisive game five before dropping the match. Despite the loss, the Ephs were led by sophomores Andrea Scioscia, Melissa Pun, and Whitney Hitchcock. Defensive specialist Scioscia was just that, posting a team high 27 digs. Pun, filling in for Avis, posted a season high 49 assists to go along with 17 digs and 4 blocks, while Hitchcock tallied 12 kills, seven digs, and five blocks.
Junior captain Riki McDermott also had a strong match, recording 21 digs and 2 service aces, while sophomore Alisha Cahlan (10 kills, two blocks) and first years Kate Anderson (16 kills), Eleanor Levine (10 kills, 23 digs), and Nicole Ballon-Landa (five kills, three blocks, two service aces) had impressive contributions despite the defeat.
The Ephs would next look to rebound against a team they had already beaten this season. Coming off a 3-1 win earlier in the season, Williams, however, was unable to duplicate that same result in the third place match against Wellesley.
"In [the Wellesley match], our energy was inconsistent and fatigue played a factor," said Vandermeer.
One of the bright spots for the Ephs was the play of senior captain Liz Hirschhorn. Coming off an impressive performance at setter against Smith, Hirschhorn recorded 40 assists to go along with 3 kills, 7 digs, and 3 blocks. Levine also had an excellent all-around match, smashing a team-high 17 kills and posting 18 digs. Rounding out the play for the Ephs were Scioscia (18 digs), Ballon-Landa (eight blocks, six kills), Hitchcock (three blocks, four kills), McDermott (five kills, five blocks, nine digs), Anderson (five kills), Pun (11 digs, five kills, two service aces), and Cahlan (eight kills, six digs).
MIT swept Tufts in three games to claim the championship title. Melissa Pun was the only Eph named to the all-tournament team.
"I was really proud of Liz [Hirschhorn's] performance all weekend, as well as Mellisa [Pun]," said Vandermeer. "No matter what the score, Andrea [Scioscia] and Riki [McDermott] were great on defense, and Eleanor [Levine] showed great toughness against Wellesley."
Williams will next see action at the Nazareth Invitational, Sept. 28-29. The Ephs play RIT (5 p.m.) and Scranton (7 p.m.) on Friday Sept. 28, and host Nazareth (12:30 p.m.) the following day.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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