WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark University volleyball team (5-17) hosted Skidmore (13-11) for its final home match of the season on Senior Day. Prior to the opening serve, Clark honored seniors Harper Chinn, Winifred Gakidis, Katelyn Williams, Defne Olcer, and Julia Dopazo for their contributions to the program over the last four years.
After dropping the opening set, the Cougars bounced back to win the next two sets. Skidmore responded by taking the fourth set to force a deciding fifth, where the Thoroughbreds pulled away to secure a 3-2 victory.
How it Happened
-
It was a back-and-forth start to the opening set, with the teams tied at 7-7 following kills from first-year Cadence Martin, junior Isabella Alcott, and junior Abigail Venis.
-
Following a nine-point run from the Thoroughbreds, the Cougars claimed seven of the next eight points behind a service ace from Dopazo and four points from Alcott, who recorded a kill and three aces.
-
Clark pulled within three, but Skidmore maintained its advantage and pulled away to take the opening set, 25-17.
-
A service ace from Williams capped an early 3-1 run for the Cougars, who built a 13-9 lead behind two kills from Gakidis and another ace from Williams.
-
Williams added a kill, while first-year Addison Link joined the scoring. Two more kills from Gakidis and another Williams ace gave Clark a 21-17 advantage late in the set.
-
Skidmore cut the deficit to one, but kills from Venis and Alcott closed out a 25-22 second-set win for Clark.
-
After Skidmore took an early 8-6 lead in the third set, the Cougars went on a seven-point run fueled by four service aces from Dopazo and two kills from Alcott.
-
That stretch proved to be the difference as Gakidis and Alcott added late kills to help Clark secure a 25-18 victory and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
-
Clark opened the fourth set with a 3-1 advantage behind kills from Alcott and Williams, along with a block from Gakidis and Martin. However, Skidmore responded by winning 13 of the next 14 points to take a 16-6 lead.
-
The Thoroughbreds maintained control from there, closing out a 25-13 win to force a deciding fifth set.
-
A service ace from Dopazo opened the final set, but Skidmore answered with four consecutive points to take an early lead.
-
Alcott and Martin added kills, while a Gakidis ace followed by another Alcott kill tied the set at 5-5.
-
Skidmore scored the next three points to regain the lead. Kills from Gakidis and Martin brought Clark within one late, but the Thoroughbreds held on to win the set, 15-12, and take the match, 3-2.
Inside the Box Score
-
The Cougars recorded 41 kills on 37 assists, along with 50 digs, 13 service aces, and nine blocks.
-
Alcott led the way offensively with 19 kills, adding nine digs defensively. It marked her 14th match this season with double-digit kills.
-
Martin contributed seven kills on just 13 attempts.
-
Dopazo recorded a double-double with team-highs of 26 assists and 11 digs. She also led the Cougars with six service aces, surpassing the 100-ace mark for her career.
-
Gakidis added six kills and four blocks, surpassing the 150-block mark for her career.
What's Next
The Scarlet and White close out the regular season with a trip to MIT this Saturday for a noon matchup.
