On Saturday, for the first time in the history of the team, Bowdoin Women's Volleyball defeated Springfield College in a tight 3-2 match to close its participation in the 2007 Volleyball Hall of Fame Tournament. The rest of the tournament had mixed results: Bowdoin finished seventh overall with a Friday win against Bridgewater and a loss to MIT, as well as a Saturday defeat against Wellesley. However, it is the long-sought victory against Springfield that the Polar Bears will most remember.
"Our win over Springfield was awesome this weekend. They are a very talented team and beating them was a great feeling," said captain Amanda Leahy '08.
"It was a very intense game with amazing rallies. Both teams played very strongly," Head Coach Karen Corey said.
The Springfield match was indeed close. Bowdoin opened on a strong note, immediately taking the first two sets with scores of 30-18 and 30-26, respectively. The Polar Bears then lost the third set to the Pride by only two points, at 28-30. The fourth set of the game was even more dramatic with a Springfield victory of 32-34 in a forced overtime. However, Bowdoin returned after losing these two sets in a tight but definitively triumphant 15-11 fifth set.
"We played them twice before and lost both times," Diggs said. "But the third time was a charm, and we finally beat them and avenged our past losses."
Stephanie Drumright '11 was particularly influential in the Springfield match. As a middle player, she contributed 16 kills and three blocks and it was partially because of this performanec that she was later selected to the All-Tournament team.
"Stephanie Drumright was again exceptional," Corey said. "She has now earned All-Tournament Honors in three of five major tournaments."
Other key players were Skye Lawrence '10 with 13 kills and 30 digs, Gillian Page '10 with 10 kills, and Leahy, who also reached double-figures. Jenna Diggs '10 contributed a triple-double with 10 kills, 17 digs, and 24 assists.
The previous three games at the Hall of Fame Tournament were not as close. While Bowdoin opened the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Bridgewater, the Polar Bears were swept 3-0 by both MIT and Wellesley.
With set scores of 30-20, 30-26, and 30-13, Bowdoin easily defeated the Bridgewater Eagles on Friday. Diggs was again effective in three separate fields with eight kills, 15 assists, and seven digs; Drumright similarly added six kills and three blocks. Lawrence earned a team-high 16 digs.
The Polar Bears were not as dominant in their second match of the tournament against MIT, which concluded with a 3-0 MIT victory at set scores of 30-18, 30-17, and 30-18. The loss still had its high points. Page led the Bears with nine kills. Diggs contributed 14 assists and Anna Noucas '11 had 17 digs.
On Saturday, the Bears fell to Wellesley in a similar 3-0 game, with set scores of 30-22, 30-22, and 30-24. Page again posted nine kills, which was supplemented by an additional eight from both Drumright and Leahy. Noucas collected 10 digs and three aces in the match.
"Our team played really well together all weekend, with different people stepping up at the right times to make big plays," Leahy said.
"Our team is only stronger and more mentally tough from the success this past weekend," Diggs added. "Springfield was the first hard-fought victory that we've really had all season. We've taken very competitive teams to five games in the past, but haven't been able to pull off a victory. The match against Springfield marks a turning point for our team."
The team now stands with an overall record of 16-13 and a NESCAC record of 2-6. Tonight, the Bears will face off against Tufts at Amherst. The team returns Sunday afternoon, when they will play host a home match versus Bates.