Volleyball does not lose a game at Hall of Fame

After defeating Plymouth State at home earlier in the week on their Senior Night, Middlebury women’s volleyball traveled to Holyoke, Massachusetts to compete in the 19th Volleyball Hall of Fame Classic. After a heartbreaking showing at Amherst over Fall Break, the team roared back and handily defeated all three opposing teams they faced this weekend.
The team traveled to Amherst over fall break, where they took on three NESCAC opponents. After defeating Wesleyan 3-0 Friday night, the Panthers went up against Connecticut College and Trinity the following day. Going into Saturday the Panthers were riding on an impressive eight  -game winning streak that unfortunately had to end eventually. The game between Middlebury and Connecticut College was an excitingly close contest, with the first four sets being won by the smallest possible margin of 2 points. Despite going down 2-0 after the first two sets, Middlebury came back to tie the game 2-2 after four. Sadly Middlebury lost the fifth set and had to take on yet another NESCAC opponent after this devastating loss.
After leading Trinity 2-0, Middlebury dropped the next three sets in an extremely close match. The Panthers pushed Trinity to a 16-14 final set but ended up losing the match in a closely contested fifth game. Despite this disappointing weekend, Middlebury still boasts a 6-2 conference record and is ranked second in the NESCAC, following Amherst, whom they beat earlier this season.
Middlebury played their final home game of the season last Wednesday, defeating Plymouth State 3-1. The team racked up some impressive stats during the match, with Megan Jarchow ’14 earning 15 kills, Caitlin Barrett ’13 gaining 20 digs, Julia Gibbs ’13 serving four aces and co-captain Lauren Barrett ’11 collecting 40 assists. The game was a positive note on which to end their season at home and celebrate the impressive college careers of seniors Lauren Barrett ’11 and Whitney Bean ’11.
This past weekend the team competed in, and won, the Hall of Fame tournament. In a dominant showing, they took down all three opponents 3-0. Middlebury easily defeated MIT in the tournament opener, with co-captain Jane Handel ’12 and Jarchow both getting 10 kills. The following day in the semifinals the Panthers defeated Tufts, with Gibbs collecting 12 kills and Barrett earning 20 digs. In the final match of the tournament, Middlebury again defeated a NESCAC opponent when they easily beat Bowdoin for the third time this season. After an incredible weekend boasting 32 assists against Tufts and 33 against Bowdoin, Lauren Barrett ’11 was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.
“We played really fluidly and things came together well for us,” said Handel of the team’s successful weekend. “We executed our plays well and were able to run our offense. No one could stop us.”
“We played as a cohesive unit and with a lot of confidence,” added Elissa Goeke ’12. “We know we can beat any of the teams we have left on our schedule and are really excited for this weekend.”
This coming weekend the Panthers travel to Clinton, N. Y. for the end of their regular season. Friday they will face Hamilton College and Saturday their final game will be against Williams College. This is a huge weekend for the Panthers, as it will determine the host of the NESCAC tournament.