Boston College volleyball finished its campaign at the New England Challenge on Saturday with two wins over regional, non-conference rivals: the University of Connecticut (6-5) and Harvard (4-6).
Entering the day at 7-4 and sitting comfortably over the .500 mark, the Eagles improved to 9-4 while asserting their dominance over the Huskies and Crimson. These two wins should be a good boost for the Eagles’ confidence before the start of conference play.
Despite an early morning start, the Eagles started the day against UConn with aggression, gaining a quick 12-3 lead.
Junior Julia Tapor played a key role in this success, with two aces in the first set.
The Huskies made a comeback, however, and cut the lead to 22-18. Mallory Moffat remained calm in the face of UConn’s surge and sealed the first set with an ace to give the Eagles a 25-18 victory.
The next two sets showcased the ability of the Huskies to stay in the game. The Eagles won the second set in a tight 25-22 victory, with a winning kill from Katty Workman. BC ended the set on a 13-5 run, capped off with five straight points to close out the contest. The Eagles finished their match against UConn with a 25-15 victory in the third set.
Having beat the Huskies in straight sets, the Eagles found themselves matched up with Harvard.
Unlike their game from earlier in the day, the Eagles were in need of a come-from-behind win. Down two sets to one entering the fourth, the Eagles were very aware of how much they needed to step up if they wanted to sweep the tournament.
Despite looking a bit off in the dropped sets, the Eagles soared back with conviction to win the next two and secure a victory. Kam McLain earned MVP honors in part for her performance against Harvard, while matching her career high with 15 kills.
