Volleyball pulls out a mixed bag of results

Author: Peter Baumann

Following their gut-wrenching 3-1 loss at the hands of Tufts on Oct. 12, members of the Middlebury volleyball team scattered in different directions. Some sought solace with the friends and family who had come to cheer them on, while others began tearing down the equipment in their temporary home - the Bubble.

As the team slowly began to file out of the building, the crowd dwindled until finally only one player remained. Almost as if she was trying to hold onto the memories of a career that now holds only two more home matches, Middlebury's anchor lingered longer than most. As is her style, co-captain Lindsay Patterson '08.5 had been the first to arrive, and on this day, with a defeat both promising and disheartening still fresh in her head, she would once again be the last to leave.

While a quick glance at their record of 8-9 does not immediately grab the eye, the Panthers have not lacked for storylines this year. Two weeks ago, Whitney Bean '11 set a school record with nine block assists; the team defense has been amazing with Bean at the net and libero Natalie DuPre '10 enjoying another fabulous year on the back line; and the Panthers have enjoyed the fruits of their recent recruiting success as several first-years are playing crucial roles, including the team leader in kills, Jane Handel '12.

But even with all of these, the story of the Panthers success still often circles back to Patterson. Coach Sarah Raunecker '92 recognizes what her co-captain does for the team.

"Lindsay is the team leader [along with co-captain Reisa Bloch '09.5]," Raunecker says. "She brings a combination of offense, defense and mental toughness, not to mention the leadership to keep everything together."

While Patterson's leadership might be her most impressive trait overall, on the court it is her versatility that makes her so valuable to the Panthers.

Middlebury employs several talented front-court players and a bevy of quick, athletic back-line defenders, but only Patterson is equally comfortable playing in both spots. She is the only player in the NESCAC to find herself in the top ten in both kills (traditionally a front-line stat) and digs (almost exclusively a back-line metric).

With Patterson showing the way, the Panthers have spent most of the year just on the verge of breaking through. Against Tufts, Middlebury was in a position to win every game, but still was unable to force the match to a decisive fifth contest. While Raunecker has been happy with the way the team has played, she recognizes that one or two things must change before the team can constantly compete with the upper echelon teams in the NESCAC.

"We committed too many errors," she said after the Tufts game. "They're a good team but they're not much better than us. We're deep enough that we should be able to compete [with the Jumbos] and get to a fifth game."

DuPre echoed her coach's sentiment. "We played tough and put them in positions that they didn't want to be in," she noted. "We can beat any team in the NESCAC, we just need to get used to winning."

On the heels of the loss to Tufts, Middlebury traveled to Amherst this past weekend to take on the Lord Jeffs and Hamilton at the Amherst quad. The Panthers lost to the talented Amherst squad by the score of 3-0 before coming back the next day to sweep the Continentals. Even in the defeat at the hands of the Lord Jeffs, Patterson paced the Panthers with six kills to go along with five blocks, second only to DuPre's nine blocks.

As the Panthers continue to search for the tool that will unlock the secret to make the jump from a good team to a great one, their eyes will remain turned to Patterson. Whether she is taking some off the load of Handel's shoulders offensively, or helping DuPre solidify the back-line defense, the only constant in her game is that she will continue to do whatever needs to be done for Middlebury volleyball.

As the lights dim on her successful career, one can understand why she is the last one to leave the gym every night as she searches for an answer that she knows she is close to.

"We play some good teams going forward," she said while slowly packing up her things after the Tufts match. "But we're a good team too. We know we can play with anyone."