Coming off an exciting win in its Senior Day doubleheader last Saturday, the volleyball team will face off against Williams tonight in the NESCAC quarterfinals at Amherst.
The third-seeded Polar Bears posted their highest-ever NESCAC finish this season and are optimistic about the matchup with seventh-seeded Williams.
The two out-of-conference matches last weekend at home helped prepare the team for what is sure to be a trying NESCAC tournament. The Polar Bears finished their regular season with a 18-10 record.
The Polar Bears opened the Senior Day doubleheader against Emerson with a fiercely contested 3-2 win.
The team won the first two sets of the match by wide margins, 25-18 and 25-16, respectively, but then proceeded to drop the next two sets, 19-25 and 20-25. It all came down to a fifth set showdown in which the home team triumphed 15-5.
Stephanie Drumright '11 notched nine kills, two aces and five blocks for Bowdoin, while Ellie Brennan '14 posted 12 kills in 19 attempts.
Kristin Hanczor '12 came away with 10 kills. Sophia Cornew '14 had 43 assists while liberos Jillian Berkman '12 and Taylor Vail '14 each had 19 digs.
The Polar Bears then cruised to an easy victory, defeating the Keene State Owls in three sets, (25-22, 25-19, 25-13). Brennan once again had a strong outing with 12 kills in 24 attempts.
Hanczor, Drumright and sophomore Hilary Cederna had eight kills each. Cornew notched an impressive 34 assists, while Vail took 16 digs.
Vail was optimistic about the Polar Bears' prospects for the upcoming weekend.
"We've clearly had a great season, but I know we're not satisfied and we're looking to take it up a notch and finish strong," she said.
Vail is optimistic about the team's next match against Williams in the NESCAC conference tournament tonight.
"Williams is a great team but when we really play together with lots of communication and heart they have nothing on us," she said.