Netters strong in wide open NESCAC

Author: Sarah Luehrman

After a successful and eventful NESCAC volleyball weekend hosted in the Pepin Gymnasium here at Middlebury, the Panthers hold a record of 4-3 overall and 2-1 within NESCAC thus far. "We got a good look at our competition this weekend," commented captain Lacee Patterson '07, "and it looks like the league is wide open. Most of the teams have young players (including us), so it is basically going to be a race to see who can figure out the right system the quickest."

Middlebury faced off against Wesleyan, their first in-league opponents of the season, on Friday evening, Sept. 16, in Pepin, and the tournament began on a positive note, with a 3-1 win. After falling in the first game 25-30, the Panthers came back with three stunning victories in a row, each just as close as the one before, to claim the win over Wesleyan, currently 1-2 within the NESCAC.

Lindsay Patterson '09 and Lexie Fisher '08 led the offense with 13 and 12 kills, respectively, and captain Jamie Wong '06 backed up the defense with 20 digs throughout the match. "Although we got off to a rocky start," said Wong, "we kept a steady mental game which helped us put down a solid win." The Cardinals went on to defeat Hamilton 3-0 and subsequently to fall hard to Williams, 3-0.

The Panthers went on to face a challenging Saturday, beginning with a difficult loss to Trinity College, 3-2. The Bantams came to the court fresh from a loss to Williams the previous evening, and after the Panthers claimed a decisive first game 30-15, it seemed as though Trinity might be in for another tough day. Offense on the Panthers' side of the court was strong - Fisher once again demonstrated aggressive skill against the Bantams with a staggering total of 16 kills. Trinity, however, rallied for game two and, though the Panthers came within two points of the victory, the Bantams managed to even the match score to 1-1.

Middlebury claimed the third game 30-27 but dropped the fourth 22-30. The Bantams were demanding twice the defense that Wesleyan had, and the Panthers were there to respond, with Wong contributing another 25 digs and Lindsay Patterson '08 21, but the team was beginning to get tired as the fifth game began. Trinity clinched the victory with a 15-7 game, and the Panthers took advantage of their few hours of rest before facing Connecticut College. "Trinity showed us we certainly have some work to do," commented Lacee Patterson, "but that is the rollercoaster of early season play."

The Connecticut College Camels, previously undefeated in the league, were flush with their victory against Hamilton and Williams. The Panthers, however, were prepared and took them down in three games, their first sweep of the season with some of the most intense competition yet.

The first two games were cutthroat and long as the Panthers struggled for the necessary two point margin, the first extending to 33-31 and the second even longer, 36-34.

The third game ended the match with an anticlimactic 30-17 win for the Panthers. Lacee Patterson took charge of both offense and defense, with six kills and 11 digs. Wong shone on defense once again with 21 digs and Lindsay Patterson contributed a remarkable 12 kills, totaling 32 over the weekend.

Both captains came away from the first weekend of league play optimistic and eager to see what the season will bring.

Lacee Patterson noted that "it was exciting to see the potential we do have" during the two exciting wins this weekend, and Wong added that though "the skill level of the teams this year is more even than I have ever seen before in NESCACS," the Panthers have great prospects for league victory this season.