The Observer, October 6, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 6
Volleyball team rebounds against Ursuline
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Facing teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation is never an easy task, but having to do so on back-to-back days might have been too much for the volleyball team to handle. Last Friday night, the team faced the second ranked team in the country, Washington University of St. Louis. The Spartans began the match well but could not gain a victory.
"We played really well in the first game versus Washington and rattled them so they stepped up their play," said Ashley Garman.
The team played very well considering Washington is so highly ranked because of their consistentcy, having only lost one match on the year. It was with this consistent play that Washington beat the Spartans in three straight games, even after having faced a tough first game (30-25, 30-13, 30-13).
The next match was against the University of Chicago. The Spartans had high hopes going into this match, as they had beaten the Maroons last season, but were unaware of the great disadvantage they would face against the size of the Chicago team.
"We played well versus Chicago," said Coach Karen Farrell. "We had really good digs, but Chicago's height was a big problem."
The Spartans were taken down in four very close sets (30-21, 30-27, 27-30, 30-21) by the Maroons, but there was a lot of promise held in the match.
"We had the best ball control we have had all season, and our coaches complimented our intensity," said Julianna Burrows.
Burrows herself was a big contributor to that higher level of intensity.
"Julie's intensity and motivation, throughout the weekend, kept us in games," said Farrell. Burrows' 13 digs and two kills in game one, 15 kills and eight digs in game two, and five digs and two kills in the third game were just an added bonus on top of her contributions to the team's morale.
The next and last match of the weekend was against New York University, the 15th ranked team in the country. The Spartans fought hard, but went down 3-0 (30-21, 30-19, 30-22) to NYU.
"All of the teams we faced were very tall, so it was hard to match up against them," said Garman.
The team's next round robin will be the weekend of Oct. 14-15 against Rochester, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, and Brandeis. Farrell believes the team will have a better chance of winning in that tournament.
"We will do better in Round Robin 2 because we'll match up better in size versus the competition," said Farrell.
The Spartans did bounce back from the first round robin to earn a victory against Ursuline on Wednesday night. The event was a festive one, as the team held a faculty reception before the game. The ladies then swept Ursuline (35-33, 30-21, 30-28) in three straight games in front of their most supportive home crowd of the season.
"It made a big difference to have a big crowd, especially at the end of games," Farrell said. "What a way to go out at home."
The crowd was comprised of the many faculty members there, including Peter Garfield, the team's faculty mentor who has lent his support to the team throughout the year. Also adding their enthusiasm were members of the other varsity teams.
Colleen Martin led the charge on the court for the Spartans. As the season has progressed, she has grown more confident and become one of the most valuable players on the team.
"I'm learning more skills rather than relying on pure athletic ability," Martin said, "and I've grown more confident through repetition at practice."
Martin and the team will next be in action tomorrow when they play both Heidelberg and Wilmington in a tri-meet match at Heidelberg.
