
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Bowdoin College women's volleyball team lost just its second NESCAC match of the season, 3-1, at Middlebury on Friday evening.
With one match remaining in the regular season, the Polar Bears (20-6, 7-2 NESCAC) have been eliminated from contention for the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Bowdoin can secure the second seed in the championship with a win at Hamilton in its regular season finale Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Panthers (17-6, 4-5 NESCAC) won by set scores of 17-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-17.
Bowdoin jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first set before Middlebury came back to cut the lead to three at 15-12. The Polar Bears then ran off four straight points on their way to the 25-17 win. Middlebury led 13-12 in the second set before scoring four straight points to take a 17-12 advantage on its way to a 25-18 win. Megan Jarchow had six of her match-high 18 kills in the set.
In the key third set, neither team led by more than two points until the Panthers took a 17-14 advantage on a kill from Olivia Kolodka. The lead grew to 21-15 before Bowdoin came back to make it a 22-19 contest on a block. Middlebury was up one when Jarchow earned a kill to put the set away, 25-23.
Leading 13-12 in the fourth and final set, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run to put the match away, earning the 25-17 win.
Amy Hart aided Jarchow's 18 kills with 11, for Middlebury.
Christy Jewett led Bowdoin with eight kills while Katie Doherty and Clare Geyer each had six kills apiece. Doherty tied a match-high with 21 digs, followed by Ellie Brennan and Sophia Cornew (28 assists) with 13 apiece. Emma Patterson earned four block assists in the contest.