Volleyball headed to NESCAC tournament

Author: Seth Miran

"Pressure makes diamonds," said General George S. Patton. In the case of the women's volleyball team, pressure also makes playoff berths.

Coming off a tough mid-week loss to Williams, the Panthers headed into the weekend at Hamilton knowing that their playoff hopes were riding on their Saturday performance.

The first match, which resulted in a loss to the Amherst Lord Jeffs, was far closer than the 3-0 score might suggest. The Panthers were neck-and-neck with Amherst for most of the first game before ultimately falling 30-26. The second game was even closer, with Amherst prevailing at the very end by a score of 33-31.

In both of the first two games, the deciding factor was unforced errors. Simply put, Middlebury had a few of them at crucial points and Amherst did not.

"Amherst was a disappointing loss," said Lacee Patterson '06.5 "We played right with them and made some mental errors that cost us the match. The exciting thing is that mental errors can be fixed - and quickly."

Following the close losses in the first two games, however, the Panthers struggled to correct those errors in the third game. Perhaps a bit disheartened, they had a difficult time maintaining the intensity that was evident throughout the rest of the match and lost 30-23.

With their backs to the wall, the Panthers rebounded nicely in Saturday's second match versus the host school, Hamilton. Middlebury won the first two games in convincing fashion by scores of 30-19 and 30-15. With a victory and playoff berth in sight, the Panthers closed out a closely-contested third game by a narrow margin of 30-27.

It was clear throughout the Hamilton match that the team was motivated as opposed to overwhelmed by the pressure they faced. "Hamilton was a must-win. We came out strong and were able to dominate for most of the match," said Lindsay Patterson '08.5.

Amy Heath '07 observed that same fire in her team. "We came out strong, aggressive on offense and never let up," she said.

Over the weekend, the Panthers were led offensively by Lexie Fisher '08.5, Kate Heath '09 and Kate Lupo '10. Fisher had 16 kills and 21 digs in the losing effort against the Lord Jeffs in addition to 11 kills against Hamilton. Kate Heath continued to dominate at the net and Lupo chipped in with nine kills in a winning effort in the second match.

Lacee Patterson continued to prove herself indispensable, dishing out 48 assists in Saturday's first match. Olivia Minkhorst '09 anchored the defense, as she has throughout the season, with 26 digs in that same match.

With the momentum from the win against Hamilton, the team is upbeat and eager to take on top-seeded Williams when tournament play begins on Friday. The keys to the match for the Panthers will be blocking well at the net, playing solidly in the back row and being aggressive offensively while minimizing errors.

Despite falling to the Ephs twice this season, the team remains optimistic about its chances against Williams and beyond, noting that it has everything to prove while the Ephs have everything to lose as the top seed playing on their home court.

Lacee Patterson summed up the general sentiment of the team, saying, "We are going into the tournament with nothing to lose. Williams is the one with the pressure, having beat us twice and hosting the tournament. Good things happen when you play loose, swing hard and have to prove yourself every step of the way."

She continued, "In my opinion, a young team is the most dangerous because when things click, we can surprise anyone. We've seen those moments, and I believe we just might be peaking at the right time."