The volleyball team suffered a season-ending loss against Williams in last Sunday’s NCAA Regional Final match, dropping all three sets. Head Coach Karen Corey announced her resignation the following day, making the regional final loss the last of three NCAA tournament appearances for the team with Corey at the helm.
Despite the loss, the Polar Bears had a successful run during the NCAA tournament.
Bowdoin started off the tournament by sweeping Regis College 3-0 in the first round and beating MIT 3-2 in the second round. The win against MIT earned the Polar Bears a spot in the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in three years.
“I think it’s a huge privilege and accomplishment that the team was able to get to the NCAA tournament,” said Corey. “We were able to gain an at-large bid, which was amazing.”
Against Regis in the first round, the team’s persistence and focus were evident throughout the match and Bowdoin did not give up a single set to The Lions. The Polar Bears earned an early advantage in both the first and second sets.
“The team was focused on trying to play well, be efficient and win decisively,” said captain Christy Jewett ’16.
The team felt confident coming off the win and was determined to play even deeper into the tournament.
“Having such a big win on Friday definitely showed the girls that we deserved to be there and we had a shot to move forward and play some really tough matches,” said Assistant Coach Kristin Hanczor ’12. “We had a fantastic game [against Regis] and the entire team was so confident and proud.”
On Saturday, Bowdoin faced MIT for the first time this season. The Polar Bears and the Beavers split the first four sets evenly.
“MIT was the only team ranked above us we hadn’t yet played,” said Jewett. “We got really pumped, because we saw how beatable they were.”
Jewett played a large role in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over MIT. Corey said Jewett took responsibility for the team with her 27 kills.
“The girls are such a tight-knit group of people and they value playing together so much, and knowing the season was on the line, they wanted to win to stay the next day and play together again,” said Hanczor. “That was a key piece to get them motivated to play well.”
After the Polar Bears’ 3-0 their record for the season stood at 23-9 (6-4 in the NESCAC).
Three Polar Bears were recognized at the end of the season. Jewett ended the season as the school’s single-season kills leader and Erika Sklaver ’17 finished as the school’s single-season blocks record holder. Both Jewett and Sklaver were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Northeast All-Regional team. Katie Doherty ’17 was named as Defensive Player of the Year for the NESCAC.
Although Corey will no longer be leading the Polar Bears, the team is in an unusually lucky position as it is not graduating any seniors, allowing the team to use its abnormal continuity to build off this season’s success without having to struggle to find a rythym at the begginning of next season.