The volleyball team chalked up a successful 2-1 record at this weekend’s Coast Guard Classic Tournament, its second to last before the season-ending NESCAC tournament.
The squad bounced back from its loss earlier in the week to Eastern Connecticut State University by opening the weekend tournament with a commanding 3-0 sweep over Westfield State. The Cardinals went on to drop their next match at the hands of Coast Guard but finished off the weekend with a 3-0 sweep over Roger Williams, evening its overall record at 12-12.
Earlier in the week, the Cardinals gained back a critical part of their lineup with the return of Erin Reding ’06. Reding, who had been out of commission due to injury, proved to be a key force over the weekend and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team alongside senior captain Becca Mintz. In addition to the solid efforts by Reding and Mintz, who were two of only six players to make the All-Tournament Team, the rest of the squad played a large part in their two victories.
“Having Erin back was definitely big for us, but the whole team did a great job of playing hard all day, especially with three matches in one day,” said defensive specialist Tory Molnar ’07. “In our game against Westfield we were just really consistent. We came out fired up and played aggressively the whole time. [The third match against] Roger Williams was a tough game because they played with such a slow tempo. It was hard not to play down to their level, but we stayed in it and showed some amazing heart.”
After squeaking by two nail-biting rounds 32-30 and 34-32 against Roger Williams, the Cards came out strong and played aggressively, dominating the final round 30-9 and finishing off a strong weekend.
This weekend will be the last tournament of the regular season and will be critical in determining the seeds for the NESCAC tournament, where the Cards may be able to rack up the number five seed with a successful weekend at Bates. According to Molnar, the team will be able to play in its naturally aggressive manner instead of playing down to a slower tempo like they did this weekend.
“The great thing about all three Maine teams is that they play the same type of game as we do. We’ll get to play some matches that are the tempo and style we are used to and that we are good at,” Molnar said.
With only a few weeks left in the season, the volleyball team has certainly made large strides on the floor, especially with several newcomers to the team.
“Whatever our record says, and however NESCACs go, this team exceeded my expectations,” Molnar said. “It has come together in a great way. We love playing together and when we play well, we’re amazing. A few matches have not gone as we would have hoped, but overall we are doing really well. All things considered, we are really fired up for this last big weekend before the NESCAC tournament.”
The Red and Black will take on Bowdoin, Bates and Colby this weekend at Bates.
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