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Volume CXXXIII, Number 1 |
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Bear volleyball looking toward promising
season
COLLEEN MATHEWS
Staff Writer
Forget the football team, the field hockey team, and the soccer team,
because it's time to watch women's volleyball. This year, Bowdoin volleyball
has a new head coach, a talented assistant, and experienced players, creating
an equation for an exciting season.
Armed with experience and enthusiasm, Kellie Bearman has taken control
of the Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team. She possesses years of experience
as both a scholarship player at Ambassador University in Texas and as
a teacher of the game at Attleboro (Massachusetts) High School.
Bearman replaced Lynn Ruddy, who had coached the team since its creation
in 1986. Under Ruddy, the 2000 squad finished with an 11-23 record and
a tenth-place finish in the NESCAC tournament.
To improve upon its past successes, the team plans to focus on improving
communication and winning at least half of its conference matches, as
well as all of its games outside NESCAC. The women believe that achieving
these goals will help the team on their path to a NESCAC championship.
The players have set their aim high, and Coach Bearman believes they
can accomplish what they desire. "They have done everything that
I've asked them to do," she said.
Actual numbers may be the only factor that stands in the way of their
success. In volleyball, six people play at a time. The Bowdoin 2001 roster
team has only eight names on its roster, and as a result, each player
must fully develop their all-around game and learn new positions to ensure
the success of the team.
Potential injuries are another concern for the women, and the entire squad
is constantly conscious of their physical well-being. Assistant coach
Brian Steele, who is also an emergency medical technician, assists the
players in their efforts to stay healthy. Coach Steele has extensive experience
in volleyball as well, playing for several years as a setter.
This year's team is lead by captains Lindsay Davis '02 and Mara Caruso
'03. Returning players include juniors Becca Geehr and Jess Reuben, and
sophomores Bryony Heise, Erin Phillipson, and Ina Hoxha. The team's lone
freshman is Benedicta Doe.
Davis provides the team with solid experience at net. Heise is taking
on the role of setter this year, and is responding to the challenge with
the attitude and mindset of a veteran.
Phillipson, a defensive specialist, is the best passer on the team and
provides a solid foundation for the squad's offensive attacks. Geehr and
Reuben bring their experience from last year to the hitting and blocking
typical of front-row action. Doe, a natural athlete with raw talent for
volleyball, is expected to make important contributions to the team.
Caruso believes that the nature of the sport, compounded with the small
size of the team, will "put pressure on each girl to know that the
way she plays individually can make or break a game."
This necessity to perform does not overly concern the team members, according
to Caruso, because their "relationship off the court undoubtedly
helps our chemistry in a match."
Coach Bearman states that "if volleyball is played well, it is a
beautiful sport to watch." The Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team plans
to make it a season of beauty.