This past weekend, the Yale women's volleyball team continued their 1995 campaign by travelling to James Madison University to compete in their annual tournament.
In the round-robin format, the squad faced every other participant in the tournament, including Delaware, Georgetown, and James Madison. Though the Elis won only one of their three matches, they scored high enough in each match to earn second place in the tournament under the scoring system.
The Elis opened the weekend on Fri., Sept. 15 with a tough match against the host team, James Madison. After Yale prevailed in the first game by a score of 15-12, James Madison came back to edge the Elis by the narrow margin of 16-14 in the second game . The teams then traded a pair of lopsided games, with Yale winning the third 15-3 and losing the fourth 5-15. That set the stage for the deciding fifth game. In a tension-filled contest, James Madison earned the victory by outscoring the Elis 17-15.
Phoebe Dann, CC '98, played solidly with 12 kills, two aces and 16 digs. Sarahliz Braugh, JE '98, also played well, serving 20 aces and making six digs. Though many of the Elis played well individually, they were all disappointed with the tough loss.
Instead of letting the disappointment eat away at their confidence, the squad converted the frustration into positive energy for the rest of the tournament. "I think that loss gave us the determination we needed. We should have won and we knew we shoul d have won. We were determined to show that we could play better," said captain Sarah Covey, SY '96.
The team did improve their performance, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their next foe was a very talented team. They faced the Georgetown Hoyas, who boast one of the best defenses in the country. Despite a 3-0 loss, the Elis could still pride them selves on a solid performance.
Braugh again played well, hitting 12 aces and six digs, while Leigh Brezler, PC '97, contributed 16 aces and 13 digs. Still, Covey saw a marked improvement in the squad's play. "We played well, but not stellar," she said.
Yale, at this point, was still winless in the tournament, and had only one match left to turn things around. Going into Saturday's last match, it did not look as though things would improve for the team. They were facing a Delaware team that is known as a traditional power in New England and had defeated Yale handily twice last year.
The frustration of the first two matches provided a powerful motivating force for Yale, and the team simply dominated Delaware. They won in three consecutive close games: 16-14, 15-10, and 15-12.
The Delaware victory was extremely important to the Blue. Not only was it enough to secure them second place, but it also gave them a much needed confidence boost. Each game had been close, but the Elis hung tough, and prevailed in the end. Covey was t hrilled with the victory. "It was a really big deal. We had lost to them last year two or three times, and to beat them like that this year was an extraordinary boost to our ego. We just played at a higher level. The confidence we gained from that will he lp us in the rest of the matches," she said.
As a whole, the tournament was a great success for the team. They went up against competition that exceeds that of the Ivy League, and showed that they could raise their level of play. The team will travel to Rutgers next weekend for a second early sea son tournament.
These tournaments are hard - fought and competitive, but the Elis are looking much further down the road. The tournament and match experience they are gaining in these tough early season contests will help the team prepare for the difficult Ivy League matchups it will face in October and November.
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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