The women’s volleyball team had a powerful start this weekend to kick off the NESCAC competition, opening with wins over the highly regarded squads of Tufts and Amherst.
In the team’s first match against Tufts last Friday, the Cards were considered the clear underdogs. Before the start of the season, Tufts was considered as one of the favorites to win the conference this year, after a second place finish in the NESCACs last year and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Cardinals lost their match to Tufts in three straight games.
This time around, however, the Cardinals powered themselves to a 3-1 win, establishing themselves as a conference powerhouse with the definitive victory. Lisa Drennan ’09 dished out 20 kills and newcomer Ellie Healy ’10 averaged 10.5 assists in the four games.
“We came out and really took charge of the game,” said co-captain Tory Molnar ’07. “We played amazing defense. Really, every facet of [the] game was on point.”
The next day, the Cards had the rough task of facing Amherst on its home floor. Last year, the Cardinals split the series 1-1 with Amherst. Wesleyan won the first non-conference meeting between the two in September, but the team was downed by the Lord Jeffs the next time around in October. This time around, the Cardinals rose to the challenge and enacted some sweet revenge, battling back from a 2-1 game deficit for a nail-biting 3-2 victory. Both of the final two games of the match were victories, with the Cardinals pulling out wins with the scores of 33-31 in the fourth game and 16-14 in the final contest. Drennan was dominant once again, mercilessly pummeling Amherst with 33 kills. Healy continued to contribute as well, averaging 12 assists over the course of the five-game match.
“It was a fantastic game to be a part of,” Molnar, who had 21 digs in the match, said. “Everyone had their role and everyone contributed.”
Molnar is excited about the team’s prospects.
“The attitude and commitment that everyone has been showing is really going to pay off,” she said. “I think this year Wesleyan Volleyball will be getting the respect it deserves.”
Drennan, who averaged a little over four kills per game last year, has been stepping up her play as of late, as she averaged over six kills per game against Amherst. She accredits a lot of the team’s recent success to Healy’s play.
“Ellie has a lot of different sets,” Drennan said. “She’s a really skillful player and she really helps keep the teams we play honest.”
The team hopes to build on this solid start in its next non-conference match against Rhode Island College.
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