This past weekend, the women’s volleyball team came up with two of its biggest wins of the season in their own Wesleyan Invitational Tournament. On Friday, the Cardinals avenged their earlier loss to Amherst by defeating them in convincing fashion by a score of 3-1. Less than twenty-four hours later, the Cards defeated another NESCAC rival, Trinity College, by a slim margin of 3-2. Volleyball finished with a 2-1 record for the weekend after a 3-1 loss to Smith, but their overall record now stands at 6-7.
The Cards were forced to regroup this past week as they entered their tournament after losing their last three matches. They raised their level of play this weekend in front of a home crowd, as energy from their fans to help lift them to a vengeful Friday victory. The Cards had sights set on defeating Amherst ever since their gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to the Lord Jeffs over two weeks ago. This weekend the Cards came through against their bitter rival for the first time in two years.
“We looked at Amherst, a formidable opponent, and stepped up to play,” said senior captain Rebecca Mintz ’05, who earned all-tournament honors. “This win was important because after our disappointing losses [earlier in the week], we talked about what needed to be changed and the concrete decisions on what to change in the game, and it all culminated in our victory. We know that since we beat Amherst, we can beat anyone. This was a huge confidence booster to our team. We can beat Amherst any day of the week if we’re playing well.”
Rebecca Rodger ’08, who has started at a key position as a freshman, has impressed her teammates by earning all-tournament honors alongside her captain.
“Rebecca has played amazing all week,” Mintz said. “For her to come in as a frosh and play consistently says a lot. I thought she would be more jittery and nervous as a freshman, but she hasn’t freaked out and has managed to remain stable.”
After defeating Amherst on Friday, the Cardinals faced the task of playing yet another key NESCAC rival, Trinity College. The Cards fell behind early, finding themselves in a 0-2 hole as they were unable to find a rhythm in the early stages of the match. But the Red and Black staged a comeback, racking up three straight victories and taking the final game 15-9 for the second consecutive win against a NESCAC team.
“I’m proud of our team that we were able to come back,” Mintz said. “Once you’re down 0-2, its easy to become mentally unfocused. But all of my teammates were willing to be there, and we were ready to compete for three more games. It was a powerful and important statement for us.”
In the third match of the weekend, the Cards were slated to take on Smith College in the afternoon. Perhaps feeling fatigued from playing two draining matches and feeling the effects of a small roster, the volleyball team fell in the final match. Despite wining the opening round 30-26, they lost the following three rounds, but still had a winning home stand over the weekend.
“Our home fans were really important, and they were especially crucial against Amherst,” Mintz said. “It was just energizing to see fans jump up and down at every point we made. It made us feel special, and they really pumped us up as we were playing.”
The Cardinals are slated to take on Albertus Magnus College in their next away match tomorrow, and will look to continue their conference winning streak when they travel to Trinity to take on Middlebury, Williams and Hamilton in an action packed weekend.
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