Midzik and Feeley Combine for 17 Kills and Hit .552

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The four-time defending Ivy League champs ended their five-match road trip on a positive note -- with a win over previously undefeated Princeton.

Kelly Johnson passed with efficiency to a variety of hitters and the Bulldogs hit .327 to sweep the Tigers on their home floor.  The scores of the match were 25-17, 25-22 and 25-12.

Yale improved to 4-1 in the Ivy League and 8-6 overall.  

"Kelly Johnson ran a great offense tonight and our middles did a fantastic job," Yale head coach Erin Appleman said.

Middle blocker Maya Midzik had 11 kills and hit .476, while fellow middle Claire Feeley had six kills in eight swings and hit .750.  

Mollie Rogers led all hitters with 14 kills and had 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Johnson dished out 34 assists and added nine digs and five kills. 

Maddie Rudnick led all Bulldogs with 15 digs, while Gibbons had 10.

With the first set tied at 10, Midzik struck for two kills during a 4-1 run that gave Yale a 14-11 lead. Princeton would get a point back before Rogers and Midzik combined on block assists.  On the next point, a Princeton error would push Yale's lead to 16-12.

The Tigers (4-1, 9-6) would cut the deficit to 19-17, then Kaitlyn Gibbons and Midzik responded with kills and forced a Princeton timeout.  

Gibbons went for consecutive kills, then Maddie Rudnick delivered an ace and Karlee Fuller finished off the set with a kill.

Yale trailed 15-12 in the second set and came back.  Rogers started it with a kill, and after two Princeton errors the set was tied. 

Princeton would briefly retake the lead, 16-15, before Yale scored five of next six points.  Gibbons and Midzik had kills, and Johnson capped the run with a kill to make it 20-17.

The Tigers would come close one more time at 22-21, before Midzik and Gibbons went back-to-back again.

Yale scored 15 straight points in a third-set rout and hit .480.  

The Bulldogs return home for their first home match since Sept. 6.  Yale faces Cornell on Friday at 7 p.m. and hosts Columbia the next night at 5.

Report filed by Ernie Bertothy, Yale Sports Publicity