The volleyball team has hit its stride, having won its last five matches against formidable opponents. After a difficult weekend at the MIT Invitational, the squad came back for a strong win at Middlebury. Having never won in Middlebury’s gym, this game marked a turning of the tide for the team.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said captain Christy Jewett ’16. “I think what defined us was taking care of the things we could control and setting our minds on beating Middlebury for the first time there.”
As with any early-season team, and especially one with a new head coach, Bowdoin took some time to settle into changes and new lineups and achieve the strong showings in recent weeks.
“I think some of the sacrifices that we made in the first weekend in order to figure out our team dynamics paid off,” said captain Hailey Wahl ’16. “In these past two weekends we’ve been able to apply a lot of what we learned from the first weekend and make the changes that we needed to make and be flexible and be able to figure out our opposition’s strengths and change our game plan in order to better defend against the opposing team.”
The team beat Middlebury 3-1, losing a close third match 23-25 but bringing it back in the fourth match for a decisive 25-18 win. The Polar Bears proceeded to sweep their next four matches against Hamilton, Worcester State, Bates and Colby, giving them a record of 7-3 and leaving them undefeated in the NESCAC. Jewett consistently led the team in kills throughout the four matches, totaling 15 against Bates, with first year Lisa Sheldon stepping up to contribute, leading the team with 22 digs against Hamilton.
The team’s depth is a primary strength this year, as demonstrated by Sheldon’s seamless introduction into the lineup in the past few games.
“I’d say this is the deepest team we’ve had in terms of talent,” said Assistant Coach Kristin Hanczor. “Everyone is very close in their ability and it allows us to compete against each other really intensely, which makes games more fun and less stressful because we already know in our gym we’re competing at a high level.”
With a strong base of returning players, the team is able to look into more complicated strategies. Differently from previous years, Head Coach Erin Cady has adapted the program’s game plan to focus on adjusting their tactics to each opponent.
“Being very smart volleyball players is becoming more of a focus of our program this year with so many returners who are ready to move to the next level,” said Hanczor. “The players have become so smart in the game of volleyball that we’re able to give them a lot more things to think about and they’re still able to execute really well without being overwhelmed by information.”
This, however, requires the players to lean into discomfort and muscle through vulnerability as they continue to make changes. With hard work and dedication, the players are able to leave the security of their known strengths and improve upon other skills as well.
“I’m vulnerable for a period of time, but then it becomes more successful in the end,” said Wahl. “I think [Cady] makes us realize that to be uncomfortable is a good thing, and so it gives us confidence in our own skill to be adaptable... [Cady] has faith in us and the courage to let us be vulnerable for a bit so that we can make changes in order to accommodate different strategies that will help us be successful against specific teams we play.”
Bowdoin hosts Conn. College tonight at 8 p.m. and will stay at home for a Saturday doubleheader against Tufts and Keene State at noon and 5 p.m., respectively.