Volleyball Moves to 3-2 Overall

Author: Bryan Goldberg

The Middlebury women's volleyball team opened its season with a busy week, squaring off against New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rivals Hamilton, Bates, Bowdoin and Colby this weekend following a Wednesday night victory over Colby-Sawyer. The Panthers split their intra-conference matches to maintain a winning record on the season after taking down both Hamilton and Bowdoin and surrendering losses to Bates and Colby. The latter match proved to be the most exciting of the weekend, ending only after an intense five-game nail-biter.
The attitude following this weekend was one of optimism, based in part upon solid play from first-year standouts, as well as strong leadership from captains Evan Kanaly '03 and Katie Kenney '03. "We were very satisfied with our play this weekend," said Katy Hicks '05. "Our victory over Hamilton showed what this team is capable of."
Historically, the volleyball team has been one of Middlebury's strongest, finishing with a winning record in each of the last six seasons. The Panthers believe that this season will be no exception. "Last year we played well," explained Gill Brautigam '05, "but this year we are confident that we can go a step further."
Indeed, the Panther future looks bright, especially with the addition of five first-years, including Ellen Wohlberg '06 and Jamie Wong '06, both of whom saw significant playing time. The team looks to continue its success against Union College on Tuesday night and at the Amherst College Classic this weekend.