BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin College women's volleyball team advanced to NESCAC Championship match for the third time in the last five years with a 3-0 win over Middlebury in the semifinals of the conference tournament on Saturday afternoon at Morrell Gymnasium.

The Polar Bears (22-4) will face the winner of the Amherst-Williams semifinal at noon Sunday for the conference title. Middlebury likely ends its season with a record of 18-7.

Match Highlights

• Bowdoin earned the win by set scores of 25-21, 26-24, 25-13
• The Polar Bears and Panthers battled to two close sets before Bowdoin took command in the clincher
• In the opening set, with Bowdoin leading 15-14, the Polar Bears rolled off a 7-0 run to take a 22-14 advantage. The Panthers trimmed the lead to 24-21 before the Polar Bears sealed the 25-21 win
• The second set was even closer, with the teams deadlocked at 19 apiece late in the set. Bowdoin used a quick 4-0 spurt to take a 23-19 edge, only to see Middlebyry answer with a 5-1 run to deadlock the set on a Melanie English kill at 24-24. Bowdoin replied with consecutive points to clinch the set, capped by a Quincy Leech ace to take a two set edge
• Bowdoin quickly jumped ahead in the third set in the eventual 25-13 win
• Christy Jewett had a match-high 22 kills with 14 digs to lead Bowdoin
• Katie Doherty gathered 28 digs in the victory for the Polar Bears while Leech added 39 assists
• Erika Sklaver had nine kills and Sydney Salle added eight for Bowdoin
• Middlebury was led by eight kills each from Becca Raffel and Isabel Sessions
• Hannah Blackburn and Emily Kolodka had 14 digs apiece for the Panthers while Blackburn added 24 assists

Up Next

• Bowdoin will appear in its third NESCAC final, following up on a win in 2011 and loss in 2013. The Polar Bears lost to Amherst and defeated Williams in the regular season