The volleyball team faced a tough but constructive weekend, meeting steep opposition with matches against several of the top teams in the nation at the MIT Invitational.
Roger Williams, currently the top-ranked team in New England, was the first challenge for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin battled back from a 0-1 deficit against the Hawks to win an exciting second game, 29-27. Roger Williams managed to fight back and win the final two games to claim their first ever win against Bowdoin. Despite the loss, it was an exciting contest in which a pair of first years, Erika Sklaver and Katie Doherty, managed to post 12 kills apiece.
“It has been a good learning experience for us,” said captain Taylor Vail ’14. “I know we will keep improving with each game.”
The Polar Bears followed the loss to Roger Williams with back-to-back victories, blanking both Brandeis and Regis College by a score of 3-0.
The last match of the MIT Invitational pitted Bowdoin against the no. 2 team in the New England rankings, Springfield College. The women battled to a 3-2 loss against the eventual victors of the tournament. Impressive displays again from Sklaver and Doherty added to other strong performances on the court from Emi Gaal ’15, who had 10 kills, and Sophia Cornew ’14, who notched 36 assists and 24 digs.
At the conclusion of the two-day event, Sklaver was named to the All-Tournament team. The Polar Bear’s fifth-place finish was the highest of any NESCAC competitor attending the Invitational.
The weekend activity brings the women’s record to 6-3 overall. All their matches thus far have been played against non-conference opponents.
The squad is predominantly made up of underclassmen, with 11 first years and sophomores, only one junior, and three seniors. But Vail is very optimistic about her young squad.
“Within the upperclassmen we have a lot of leadership,” she said. “Also, our freshman class has really stepped up. They have a lot of personality and a lot of talent. It creates a very positive team environment.”
“I am really excited to see how our team grows and improves throughout the season,” added Cornew.
The women prepare this week for another weekend of very difficult play, including two matches against their first NESCAC opposition of the year. They will play at Amherst tomorrow and then are set to face both Williams and Western New England College at Williams on Sunday.
“Williams is one of the toughest teams we will see throughout the year. We have to be very strong in our serving, receiving and blocking,” said Corey. “We want to compete to the best of our ability. It’s about the process and going into the conference tournament at the end of the year prepared to compete at the highest level.”