The enthusiasm of the home court was palpable this past Sunday as the Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team closed its regular season with a 3-0 shutout of Bates. With the bleachers full of Polar Bear supporters and the Polar Bears' own impressive and encouraging teamwork, it was as if the previous Friday loss against Tufts had never happened.
Bowdoin entered Friday's match with an overall record of 16-13 and a NESCAC record of 2-6 against a Tufts team that has gone an overall of 16-12 and NESCAC of 5-3. However, the Jumbos wasted no time in asserting themselves over the Bears; after a definitive first set of 30-15, Tufts continued to triumph in the next and final two sets of 30-25 and 30-15.
This is not to say that the game was without its high points, foremost among these being three players with double digit kills. Stephanie Drumright '11 led from the middle position with 12 kills, while captain Amanda Leahy '08 and Skye Lawrence '10 contributed a respective 11 and 13. Setter Jenna Diggs '10 added 23 assists to these kills. First years Grace Lazarus and Anna Noucas each posted 13 digs on the defensive front.
The match was Tufts's fifth win in a row and brought the team to a current overall 18-12 record. With a final conference record of 7-3, Tufts is ranked No. 3 in the NESCAC going into the postseason.
Sunday's match against Bates marked both the Polar Bears' last game of their regular season and their last home game of the year?and, for senior captains Leahy and Margo Linton, the last home game of their Bowdoin volleyball careers. It was thus with great anticipation that the team and its home supporters gathered for the match. The Bears did not fail to disappoint, as they swept Bates 3-0.
The match, however, was not as straightforward as its set scores of 30-19, 30-13, and 30-19 would make it seem. For the first halves of all three sets, Bates fought back. At one point in the third set, the Bobcats led by six points. However, by the 20 point mark in each set, the Bears had regained their lead, which they would not again abandon.
Setter Linton contributed 22 assists and five aces in the Bates victory, while Leahy as middle added seven kills and five blocks. Gillian Page '10 added 13 kills, while Lawrence posted a team-high 15 digs.
Bates closed out its NESCAC season in this match, totaling a season record of 7-24 and a NESCAC record of 0-10. After the Tufts loss and the Bates victory, the Polar Bears closed their regular season with a total record of 17-14, 3-7 NESCAC and a No. 8 seed in the NESCAC tournament. This weekend, they will begin the first round of the NESCAC tournament at Amherst College, where they will face the conference-leading Lord Jeffs tonight.