Williams Volleyball Finishes Ducks Classic With 1-2 Record

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HOBOKEN, NJ – The Williams College volleyball team (4-3) finished the Stevens Tech Invitational with an overall record of 1-2. On the second day of play, the Ephs' dropped their first match to tournament host Stevens Tech (26-24, 22-25, 25-22, 21-25, 13-15) and defeated SUNY-Cortland 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-17).

In their first match of the day the Ephs' faced off against the Stevens Tech Ducks, a solid team all around. Williams took a hard earned first set 26-24, but slipped just short of victory in game two. Despite another win in game three (25-22), the Ducks were able to outlast the Ephs' in the fourth and fifth sets.

“The Stevens match was a hard fought match by both teams from start to finish. We came up just short at the end. We have to focus on finishing matches when we have the opportunity, but Stevens was a very solid team,” said head coach Christi Kelsey.

Rounding out the numbers for Ephs' were junior Nicole Ballon-Landa (who earned a team high 15 kills), seniors Melissa Pun (13 kills, 20 digs) and Chelsea Kubal (11 kills, 21 digs), and junior Emily Avis (40 assists, 14 digs).

In their next match, The Ephs' dominated SUNY-Cortland from start to finish.


“As far as SUNY-Cortland, we came out from the first point and took control of the match. I was really proud of how this win was a total team effort across the board on offense and defense. Our team really stepped up.”

Ballon-Landa and junior Eleanor Levine posted 9 kills each, and Kubal (11 kills, 18 digs), senior Whitney Hitchcock (8 kills), senior Andrea Scioscia (11 digs), and freshman Mika Nakashige (11 digs), gave impressive performances.

Junior setter Emily Avis was given All-Tournament Team honors.

The Ephs play Hamilton at 7pm on September 22.
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Local Hockey Program's Alum Projected in NHL Draft

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An alumnus of the Atlantic Coast Academy hockey program is generating a lot of buzz heading into next week's National Hockey League entry draft.
 
And that attention can only help build the profile of the program Mike Taylor founded in 2022.
 
"The talent is here," Taylor said this week of ACA, which pairs hockey development and education for players from around the nation and the world. "I don't think as many people locally realize the talent we've had here. I don't think they realized we had a future NHL Draft pick playing in our home rink."
 
That prospect is Maksim Sokolovskii, who the NHL lists as the No. 40 North American skater in the June 26 draft.
 
Sokolovskii, a 6-foot-7 left-shot defenseman, scored 34 goals and collected 50 assists in 65 games playing for ACA in the 2024-25 season.
 
This year, he is playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, one of the top leagues of its kind in North America.
 
"Sokolovskii is a massive and highly athletic defenseman," analyst Corey Pronmon wrote this month for The Athletic. "He's a strong, mobile player who's very physical and projects to make a ton of stops."
 
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