The women’s volleyball team racked up a string of victories this weekend at the Endicott College Invitational, including Coach Karen Corey’s 150th win. The Polar Bears split the first day of competition with a 3-0 opener against Sage College and a 3-0 loss to Eastern. On the second day, the women swept their opponents with a 3-2 win against UMass-Boston and a 3-0 win against tournament host Endicott. In the final day of competition, the team beat the University of New England 3-0—Corey’s 150th victory.
“[The Endicott Invitational] brings in these outer-region teams, and it’s a pretty strong tournament for the first opener for us. We were in there, but we just didn’t have enough time to be fully prepared for a match like that,” said Corey.
Without time to practice, the volleyball team was forced to rely on the women’s already-developed skills. “There’s a ton of potential,” Corey said of the team. “We only had the freshmen in the gym for five days going into that tournament… It’s been a whirlwind for them.”
“I really see a lot of upside,” said Corey. “If they’re performing at this type of level without that much rest, and a lot of stress, then we’re going to be in a good place as we go throughout the season.”
This weekend, the women’s volleyball team will travel to the MIT Invitational, where the women will face strong regional challengers in the form of Roger Williams University and Springfield College. Corey explained that the team will be “using this upcoming weekend as a training ground for us so that we can be prepared for Amherst and Williams,” as the women will begin NESCAC conference play the following week.
“We’re a young group. I have eleven freshmen and sophomores,” Corey said, adding that “it’s a really strong incoming group; they’re going to help make our program strong.” She has high hopes for the team’s ability to develop itself over the next months. “We just have to keep getting better at our game throughout the season, and hopefully we’re at a point in the end of October where we’re really running sharp across all areas of our game.”