Volleyball stands alone atop NESCAC rankings

After a stellar weekend, women’s volleyball moves to 5-0 in conference play and takes over sole possession of the number one position in the NESCAC. Amidst a sea of parents and supporters, the team took down two tough opponents, Bowdoin College Friday night and Tufts University Saturday afternoon. The Panthers handed out the first conference loss for Bowdoin and finished off Tufts’ disappointing two-loss weekend. The outcome of this weekend marks the second time this season the Panthers have won six straight games pushing them to 13-3 overall and 5-0 in conference play.

Friday night Middlebury went up against Bowdoin in a hard-fought game. The Panthers came out strong and won the first two sets before losing a close third set 21-25. The team rallied and came back to dominate the fourth set 25-15 and win the match 3-1. Jane Handel ’12 led the offense with an impressive 11 kills and Lauren Barrett ’11 earned 31 digs during the game. Maddie Firestone ’13 was called on to step into a starting role for the weekend and played an impressive two games.

“We were connecting really well and played the way we wanted to this weekend, even toward the end of close games,” explained Elissa Goeke ’12 when asked about the success of the weekend.

After Tufts lost to Amherst late Friday night, Middlebury stood alone undefeated in the NESCAC. The Panthers took the court Saturday afternoon focused on the game at hand and determined to push the standings to the back of their minds. Although they lost the first set, Middlebury didn’t let Tufts win a single set after that and took the match once again 3-1 to remain undefeated in the conference. Megan Jarchow ’14 had 17 kills in the game and Caitlin Barrett ’13 managed 25 digs, with several other players putting up impressive stats over the course of the night.

“We began believing that we can beat any team we go up against,” said Caroline Cordle ’12. “We knew that we were going to win and never let up.” Jane Handel ’12 concurred, “We never gave up. Even after what we considered a bad call late in the game we stayed focused and bounced back to finish it up”.

In the busy week ahead, Middlebury will compete in four away games, three in the NESCAC. Tuesday they travel to nearby Saratoga Springs to play Skidmore before traveling to Amherst for three NESCAC matches over Fall Break. Friday night the Panthers go up against Wesleyan and Saturday Middlebury takes on Connecticut College and Trinity. With only a few conference games left, this weekend will be a huge one in determining if Middlebury will host the NESCAC finals. The Panthers are lined up to gain the privilege as they are sitting atop the standings, so the team will make a hard push to hold onto the top spot and the home-court advantage that comes along with it.