Volleyball bounces back and slams Quinnipiac

ANDREW HEID/YH The volleyball team has played above expectations.

Sometimes a team needs to experience defeat before it can truly savor its victories. Winning the first few games of a season is easy; coming back after a losing streak shows that a team is truly playing with heart. Over the course of its first nine matches, the women's volleyball team has had some dominating performances, seen itself utterly outclassed, and rebounded from its defeats to a stronger, more consistent level of play.

The Bulldogs' season got off to an up-and-down beginning three weeks ago at the Yale Invitational. After defeating Marist 3-0 and Hartford 3-1, the Elis fell to Fairfield in straight sets. The team members were happy to have pulled out the two wins, but they were hopeful that they could raise their play to a higher level. "Our block was really sloppy," captain Erica Tarin, CC '00, said. Coach Peg Scofield, now in her 14th season, also emphasized the importance of the team's blocking ability. "We're a big-blocking, hard-hitting team, and when we don't block, other teams will hit hard against us," Scofield said.

Despite being disappointed in its overall level of play, the team did experience several highlights during the tournament. Aileen Daly, SY '01, was named to the All-Tournament team in her debut as the starting setter. The victory over Marist was Scofield's 250th win, marked by rightside hitter Stephanie McMahon's, TC '01, 17 kills. Still, the loss to Fairfield in the final match diminished the exhilaration that came from dominating its opponents in the first two matches.

The first match at the following week's George Mason Tournament was perhaps the most significant of the young season. Coming off the straight-set loss to Fairfield, the Elis had to prove to themselves that they could regain their dominance. Although the Bulldogs narrowly lost to University of Maryland (Baltimore Campus) in the fifth set, there was considerable improvement in their play. "We had an incredible fight," outside hitter Vanessa Herald, ES '02, said. "It was a big turning point for us because it showed us what we're capable of."

The Elis' put forth a somewhat lackluster performance in their next match, a 3-0 loss to George Mason. "We started off a bit slowly," Scofield said. "We hit a lot of balls out, and our passing was still marginal." However, McMahon had another impressive 17 kills and was awarded All-Tournament honors. Middle blocker Colette Fitzgerald, SY '01, added 15 kills, and Daly helped the team with her impressive serve. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were robbed of a chance to bounce back from the loss after their match against Charleston Southern was cancelled when the school was evacuated due to Hurricane Floyd.

"It was a little difficult coming back with a losing record even though we played much better," Scofield said. The motivation of having a losing record cannot be discounted, though. The team knew at that point that if it planned on having a successful season, it was time to start showing what it was made of.

Yale did not drop a set in defeating Canisius, Niagara, and Bucknell in this past weekend's Bucknell Tournament, and showed a marked improvement over the course of the weekend. "We played very consistently, and our blocking was solid," McMahon said. Herald added, "Our hitting percentages were incredibly high; numbers that would blow people away." Silencing any naysayers, the Bulldogs returned to Yale with a winning record and a fresh perspective on their abilities and prospects for the season.

This positive momentum carried the Elis to a defeat of Quinnipiac College, 3-2. Yale pulled out an amazing comeback victory after being down two sets to one. "We didn't execute the way we had been over the weekend, but we were able to pick up our level of play as the match went on," McMahon said. Without the confidence gained at Bucknell, the grim score after two sets could have easily over-whelmend the Elis.

The women's volleyball team is young, and the future looks bright, but for Coach Scofield, the future can wait. "We've seen some remarkable things from our team. Now it's a matter of playing consistently at that level," Scofield said. "I'm counting on them to get me my first title." The team is confident that it can make Coach Scofield's wish come true this season. Herald said, "We definitely have the right attitude, the spirit, and the heart that can take us all the way."

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