The volleyball team (11–4) notched a 3–1 victory over Tufts University (7–6) this past Saturday, marking their 10th consecutive win this season.
This triumph follows their Friday night victory against Bates College (7–6), won 3–0 in straight sets. This weekend’s highlight was setter Gabbie O'Toole ’25 becoming the second player in program history to surpass the 3,000 assist mark in the game against Tufts.
The Panthers remain undefeated in the NESCAC with an impressive 5–0 conference record. They kicked off their 2024 campaign with a strong start and have hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons.
"It's been a really exciting season so far, we have amazing team energy and a coaching staff that pushes us every day to be better," Gabby Pribisich ’27 said.
The Panthers' undefeated record comes after four out-of-conference losses early in the season.
"The beginning of the season is always hard. We graduated seniors, and new people are coming in," Molly Harrison ’27 said. "The main difference now is that we’re coming together and playing as a team. Trust is a part of every single play."
This trust comes with both time and practice — and being intentional with what they're doing. Head Coach Sarah Raunecker ’92 emphasized that the team is process oriented and they try not to get ahead of themselves.
"How you practice is how you play, and so we really have to be mindful of coming to practice with the intent of improving a little bit every day," she said.
As the team has come together, they've learned a lot from their losses.
“Towards the beginning of the season, we worked hard to put all the pieces together to have a cohesive team on the court,” Pribisch said. Their chemistry is one of their intangible strengths this season.
"This team in particular has great chemistry. They really all love each other and want what's best for each other. So if we change the lineup, then that person is really excited for whoever's going in, and the bench is genuinely excited for the team," Raunecker said.
Facing a conference full of tough opponents, there are no easy games ahead. Next up, Middlebury will hit the road for a NESCAC weekend, starting with a match against Bowdoin College (8–5) on Friday at 7:00 p.m., followed by a battle with Colby College (14–1) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., as they work to secure their return to the NCAA Tournament.
“I think it will be a great matchup against Colby that will challenge us in ways we haven't been tested yet,” Pribisch said. “We just need to stay focused and ready for some tough games leading up to the NESCAC tournament."
Ting Cui (she/her) is a Sports Editor.
Ting has previously contributed as a sports writer and spent the past year in Washington, D.C., where she interned at the National Press Club as a policy analyst and politics writer. She also interned as an Editor at Fair Observer this past summer, focusing on stories related to international politics and security.
Ting is majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. She is also competitive figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hiking, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
