Cards Eph-up Williams in volleyball tournament

The Wesleyan volleyball team kicked off its season this past weekend with a momentous 3-2 victory over Williams.

In the Friday match of this non-NESCAC tournament hosted by the Cardinals, the team defeated its longtime rival for the first time in seven years. Wesleyan needed no extra incentive, having lost 12 consecutive times to the Ephs during that span of time.

Led by co-captains Lisa Drennan ’09 and Ellie Healy ’09, both of whom played integral roles in Friday’s match, the team is looking to use this win as motivation for the season. With the vision of a first-time conference championship in their sights, the women are prepared to feed off of this fiery start.

Wesleyan posed a united front on Friday, though a few individuals took the spotlight. Drennan was essential, starting off the season with spectacular, record-breaking play. She had 34 kills, beating the team record of 33 she had previously set against Amherst in 2006 and repeated against Vassar in 2007. Healy contributed with 49 assists, demonstrating strong offense by the co-captains.

Newcomers Casey Reed ’12 and Alissa Santucci ’12 were among the leaders in kills, with seven and six respectively. Allison Heaney ’09 paced the defense with four blocks and Ruby Hernandez ’11 chipped in 22 digs.

The five-set match (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12) proved that this squad has no problem overcoming adversity. After Wesleyan won the first game, Williams bounced back to take the second and third. The cards then needed to win two straight games to stay alive. The women prevailed in front of a raucous home crowd, winning the last two sets to steal the match.

“I never for a second thought we might lose, even when we were down,” Drennan said. “Our fans Friday night were unbelievable. They really helped give us the energy we needed to win.”

“[The fans] made it that much better to defeat Williams at home,” Hernandez said.

This match set the tone for Saturday, when the women faced both the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Wellesley College. The Cards beat Coast Guard 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-23) before dropping the match to Wellesley 1-3 (31-33, 26-24, 18-25, 17-25). The victory against Coast Guard was also overdue, the team’s first since 2003.

This past weekend truly showcased this group’s capabilities and potential and was a crucial way to begin the season.

“These are some of the toughest teams we’ll play all season,” Heaney said. “We matched up really well.”

Having success early on bodes well for the volleyball team, a group that is already tight-knit. Made up of women from every class year as well as from around the U.S. and China, the eclectic bunch is a healthy mix of experience and youth. The team of 14 has five new additions this year but veteran Hernandez ’11 thinks that is a good thing.

“We have a pretty new lineup compared to last season,” Hernandez said. “But so far we are using it to our advantage.”

The women are poised and ready to move forward. Last season, the team went 17-8 before losing in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Instead of concentrating on this fact, the women hope to build on the positives, including posting the team’s highest winning percentage (.680) since 2001.

The Cardinals continue their quest for wins next week at Vassar College with matches against the home team as well as Montclair State University. After hosting Keene State College on Sept. 17, Wesleyan finally sees some NESCAC action at Hamilton on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, when they will face off against Hamilton, Williams and Middlebury.