The Observer, September 22, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 4
Home court advantage fuels victories for volleyball team
click to enlarge
Entering last weekend's home tournament, the Case volleyball team had a 1-8 record and was struggling to gain any kind of momentum. However, playing at home provided just the spark the women needed to turn their season around. Their hard work over the first few difficult weeks paid off with a 3-1 record over the weekend.
In Friday night's games, the team beat Ursuline, 3-0, and Notre Dame (Ohio), 3-1. That was followed with a 3-2 win against rival John Carroll and a 3-0 loss to Urbana on Saturday.
One key to the Spartans' success was their ability to put opponents away late in close games.
"We minimized errors in close matches that we could have lost if we hadn't played so well," coach Karen Farrell said.
The biggest difference might have been playing on the home court for the first time all season.
"It was nice to be in our home gym with support from our fans, family, and friends," Farrell said. "Being at home certainly gave us a boost."
The games Friday night were well attended by many loyal Case fans as well as interim university president Gregory Eastwood. The support was appreciated immensely by both players and coaches.
"We had a lot of support, and we wanted to show everyone what we were made of. When the crowd is into the game, it helps us to get into the game, especially towards the end of the match," said Julie Schaefer. "It helps a lot."
The stars of the weekend were Schaefer and S.K. Piper. Schaefer, who had a good weekend setting, posted 55 assists in game one, 55 assists in game two, 50 assists in game three, and 36 assists in game four. Not to be outdone, sophomore outside hitter Piper had just as good an offensive weekend with 17 kills in game one, 14 kills in game two, 18 kills in game three, and 14 kills in game four. Both players were named to the all-tournament team for their performances.
"Piper had a great offensive weekend, and Julie was very consistent with her setting," Farrell said. "But it was a total team effort, and everyone played their roles well."
The team carried the positive momentum into its match against John Carroll Tuesday night. Playing the Blue Streaks for the second time in four days, the Spartans pulled out another victory. After dropping the first game, Case came back to win the next two, 30-27 and 30-24, respectively. The Spartans then won the fifth and decisive game, 15-8, for the 3-2 win. The women improved their record to 5-9 with the win, matching their win total for all of last season. Colleen Martin led the team with 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Elise Snell added 11.
The team will be in action tonight and tomorrow when they participate in the Waynesburg College tournament. Their first match is against West Virginia Wesleyan at 6 p.m.
