Saturday's losses against Amherst and Tufts marked the most difficult weekend of the women's volleyball 2008 season to date. Anticipation was high for the double-header at Bates, which pitted the Polar Bears against the Lord Jeffs and the Jumbos, the leading teams in the NESCAC.
Before the games, Jenna Diggs '10 predicted, "Our mental toughness is going to be the key factor that affects the outcome of the games this weekend."
Bowdoin opened the 11 a.m. match against the No. 1-ranked Jumbos by invoking that tough mindset and an even tougher offense. In doing so, the Polar Bears managed to snatch a first-set victory by two points, 25-23. However, the Jumbos came back with a vengeance to sweep the following three sets at 25-18, 25-16, and 26-19, for a 3-1 Tufts triumph.
Highlights of the match included junior Skye Lawrence's 11 kills and 10 digs, while classmate Diggs contributed 30 assists. Anna Noucas '11 posted an additional team-high 15 digs.
Despite the defeat, Gina Lonati '12 found a silver lining in the loss.
"Because we took a game off of them, we proved to ourselves that we can compete with the best," she said.
The afternoon Amherst match set Bowdoin against the next best team in the NESCAC. Amherst was in top form, coming straight from earlier, seemingly effortless, sweeps of Bates and Colby. Though the Jeffs continued the pattern by defeating Bowdoin 3-0, the Bears did not go down easily. A tight first match of 25-20 was followed by final scores of 25-14 and 25-17, during which Kristen Hanczor '12 led Bowdoin with 8 kills. Diggs was again effective with 23 assists to the offensive front; defensively, Jillian Berkman '12 added eight digs.
"Our losses to Amherst and Tufts were well-fought matches," Head Coach Karen Corey said. "Both teams played excellent defense and while we did not end up the victors, I am very pleased with our progress so far."
She has reason to be pleased: even with the two loss setback, women's volleyball has started off the season more forcefully than in recent years.
Lonati, too, is optimistic.
"I think it was really beneficial for our team to see such challenging opponents early in the season because we learned a lot about what we need to work on for these coming weeks," she said.
On Sunday, the team wrapped up the weekend with an Outdoor Volleyball Tournament on the Dudley Coe Quad that doubled as a program fundraiser and campus-wide event.
Next up for the Polar Bears is the M.I.T. Invitational Tournament, held on Saturday and Sunday. On Wednesday, they ring in October with a 7 p.m. home match against Colby.