The volleyball team is off to the program's best start ever. Its winning streak stands at 10 consecutive games after an easy 3-0 win over Maine Maritime Academy on Tuesday night.
The Polar Bears quickly dispatched of the Mariners with lopsided game scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 25-12.
Emese Gaal '15 stood out during the rout, delivering six service aces and seven digs. Ellie Brennan '14 and Hilary Cederna '13 led the team with eight kills each, with captain Kristin Hanczor '12 earning seven kills. Sophia Cornew '14 led the team in assists with 30, while captain Jillian Berkman '12 lead the team on defense with 11 digs.
The win came on top of three weekend victories for Bowdoin on its home court, where the team won the annual Mid Coast Classic, improving its overall season record to 11-1.
The weekend also marked another milestone, as Head Coach Karen Corey earned her 100th victory at the helm of the team. She is the fastest coach in the history of the program to achieve the benchmark.
Now in their sixth season together, Corey and Assistant Coach Erin Summers have an overall record of 101-66, easily the most successful tenure of any coaching staff in the 25-year history of women's volleyball at the College.
Corey praised the team for its spectacular start of season.
"I've been so impressed with this team," she said. "Our girls have set some really high goals and expectations for themselves. They are in the best shape I have ever seen them, and they've been so dedicated to the team and committed to each other."
The team dominated the Mid Coast Classic on Friday, blanking Colby-Sawyer 3-0 with match scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20.
Melissa Haskell '13 and Hanczor led the team with 13 kills each. Taylor Vail '14 and Berkman lead the team's defense with 12 and 11 digs respectively. Team setter Cornew racked up 41 assists.
The action then continued into Saturday, with Bowdoin defeating both conference rival Bates and Rivier College by scores of 3-0.
Cederna led the team in the match against Bates, earning 10 kills and 12 digs while Hanczor notched nine kills. Cornew dished out 30 assists and 13 digs while Berkman racked up 10 digs.
Against Rivier, Berkman notched 15 digs to lead the defense while Gaal had a career high of 13 kills and 11 digs. Hanczor earned another 11 kills while Cornew racked up 34 assists.
Three members from the Bowdoin team—Cerderna, Hanczor and Haskell—made the all-tournament team, giving the Polar Bears more representatives than any other school.
Corey expressed her faith in the team's ability to continue its excellent performance in the face of tougher conference competition this weekend.
"This weekend begins the heavy lifting of the season and I think the girls are ready," she said. "We've been preparing for this weekend for the last two weeks on court and in the gym, and I feel like the girls are very confident in their advanced skills."
"What I think differentiates us from other conference teams is our strong and balanced attack," she added. "When we're on the court, we're a team of six solid players, we don't just turn to one standout girl. I think that this balance will serve us really well as we take on tougher opponents later down the road."
The team plays two strong NESCAC opponents this weekend, both at home.Bowdoin faces Tufts today at 6 p.m. and takes on Connecticut College at 11 a.m. tomorrow.