Volleyball Suffers in NESCAC Play; Currently 3-5

The Middlebury volleyball team suffered a tough set of losses over the fall break as the Panthers first dropped a match against Connecticut College 3-1 on Friday, Oct. 18 and then lost 3-2 at Tufts the next day. Middlebury rebounded the following week with a 3-0 win against Plymouth State a 3-1 win over M.I.T. On Saturday, Oct. 26, they split a pair of decisions, gaining revenge on Amherst for the loss earlier in the season with a 3-2 win before losing to Springfield 3-0 as part of the Hall of Fame Classic, hosted by Smith College and Mount Holyoke.

Unfortunately, even with the over Amherst, Middlebury (16-6, 3-5 in NESCAC) lost ground in the conference.

The Panthers loss against Conn. College was particularly disappointing. The Camels, who currently sit at 11-11 overall and 5-4 in the NESCAC, have had an up and down season, and the matchup looked to be winnable for Middlebury.

However, Conn. College came out firing, and beat Middlebury on the first set with a close score of 25-23. The Panthers responded, pouncing on the Camels for a dominant second set win with a score of 25-12. The Camels got over the hump, however, scraping out the next two sets with scores of 25-21 and 25-20. Middlebury played a much cleaner game, with only 30 total errors compared to the Camels’ 42, but ultimately Conn. College  did just enough to eek out the win.

“Conn. College did a better job terminating the point than we did during those long rallies, and in combination with our own unforced errors we couldn’t make up for that,” Olivia Kolodka ’15 said.

The next day Middlebury dropped an even closer match against Tufts by a score of 3-2. The teams were neck and neck the entire way, with Middlebury earning a first-set victory by a score of 26-24, dropping the second 25-15, answering in the third with their own 25-15 win, then dropping a nail-biting fourth set 27-25. In the fifth set—played to 15—Middlebury could not muster a victory, falling 15-6.

Tufts is having a similar season to Middlebury, sitting at 17-7 on the season. However, he head-to-head victory improved the Jumbos to 6-3 in NESCAC play, while relegating Middlebury to seventh in the conference standings.

The Panthers were hungry for success as they served up the Hall of Fame Classic, which they began with a 3-1 win over M.I.T.

While the game proved to be more of a grind than their previous win — a 3-0 blanking of Plymouth State — Middlebury took control after a close 26-28 loss in the first set. After a comfortable 25-12, second-set victory, the Panthers took two close sets with wins of 25-21 and 26-24 in the third and fourth sets, respectively. Middlebury posted an impressive serving game with only two errors and 12 aces.

The next day, Saturday, Oct. 26, Middlebury would earn one of their most satisfying wins of the season, before being swept by an out-of-conference opponent. The trio of games made up the Hall of Fame Classic, which was co-hosted by Smith and Mount Holyoke.

The matchup with Amherst was a back-and-forth affair as the Panthers and Lord Jeffs traded wins and losses set for set. Middlebury won the first and third with scores of 25-21 and 30-28, respectively. Amherst took the second and fourth sets 18-25 and 22-25. Middlebury finally sealed the win with a 15-11 final set victory. Captains Megan Jarchow ’14 and Amy Hart ’14 exploded for 20 and 19 kills, respectively. Lizzy Reed ’15 put up a very impressive 30 digs, leading the Panthers’ defense.

“Our senior leadership is a key factor ... we also have a very balanced offensive attack,” said head coach Sarah Raunecker. “We’ve been getting good productivity out of Piper Underbrink ’15 in the middle, and both Olivia [Kolodka] and Melanie English ‘17 have proven to be effective hitters and very good blockers.”

Unfortunately Middlebury failed to carry their momentum into the next game, and were swept by Springfield 3-0. Middlebury did their best to keep it close, but lost all three sets 21-25, 19-25 and 15-25, respectively. The Panthers only had a team total of 25 digs, less than Reed’s individual effort the game before. The loss was a blemish on an otherwise promising week.

Now, sitting at 3-5 in NESCAC play and in seventh place, Middlebury will look to even  their conference record over the final two games against Bowdoin on Friday, Nov. 1 and Bates the next day.