Volleyball goes 2-1 at Amherst

Author: Nicole Lam

This past weekend the volleyball team took part in the Amherst Classic, earning a Friday night 3-0 win against Westfield State before losing a 3-1 against the host school on Saturday and coming back for a 3-1 win against Brandeis to top it all off. In this particular tournament, control was the key to their victory.

Wearing the same white jerseys tucked into white shorts, with white socks rolled up to their knees, hair tied up and each shouting out commands, the women of Middlebury volleyball almost resemble an army in practice. The purposes of volleyball drills are to coordinate footwork, enhance split-second reactions to the ball and strengthen attacks on the opponent.

Practicing scrimmages push each player not only to be comfortable with her position, but with all the others as well. A player in the front row practices being a setter, an attacker and a blocker while a player in the back row practices being a passer, a digger and a setter. Ultimately, from the two-hour daily drills, the women learn to obtain control. For the team, control is what makes it happen.

"We saw this weekend that when our passing is on, it allows us to run our offense and control our game. When we play strong teams, it is crucial that we focus on controlling our game instead of reacting to our opponent," said co-captain Lindsay Patterson '08.5.

The third game against Brandeis proved the team had the right mindset and strategy. After losing the first game, the Panthers came back to win the next three.

"We stepped up our game and again put the pressure on them with great swings from the front row and tough serves," said libero Natalie DuPre '10.

In volleyball, players called blockers aim for the second touch. This means that their responsibility is to place the ball in the air where the attackers can hit the ball over to the opponents' court in the smoothest way possible. The blockers, or setters, must have strong communication with the hitter and be quick in moving around the court. The players on the team with the quickest reaction time and best passing skills are generally the diggers receiving an attack or serve from an opponent. They are responsible for the defense. On the left side of the court are the primary attackers, the outside hitters. They play the offense, generally relying on a powerful swing to score.

In Saturday's game against Amherst, the women started strong at the beginning of the first three games, taking a five-point leads early on. But they were not able to keep the lead, losing the first two games 20-25 due in large part to losing out on serves. They hit their stride late, however, outplaying the competition in the third game.

"We took the third game playing very well with tough serves, great swings, and some sick defense by the entire back row and the huge block," said DuPre.

"Against Amherst our biggest problem was serve reception in the fourth game because we got into a rut and then couldn't get out of it. If we can pass well, then we can beat them for sure," said Jane Handel '11.

This tournament has brought the best results of the season, with improvements made after each game. Confidence is brewing for the next weekend as the women prepare to play Skidmore and Norwich University.

"We proved to ourselves that we have what it takes to win," said Patterson. "It was definitely a team effort. We're looking forward to Wednesday's game against Skidmore."