Volleyball gears up for tough stretch of league games

By Ewan MacDougall

The stakes are high for the volleyball team as it enters the heart of its Ivy League season. With four teams tied for first place atop the Ivy League standings, Yale, Brown, Harvard, and Princeton will be at each other's throats for the remainder of the season. While Princeton might at first seem to have the upper hand on the others, having defeated both Yale and Brown previously, Yale has rebounded marvelously, and the team is riding the crest of a four-game winning streak, which "gives us the confidence we need facing the toughest teams in the league," according to Candace Green, JE '02. The Elis have defeated Pennsylvania, Sacred Heart, Columbia, and Cornell, dropping only one game in the process. The Bulldogs have yet to face many tough opponents, including Brown on Fri., Oct. 22, and Harvard and Dartmouth in the not too distant future.

The feature that best defines this young team is its attitude. Green, who is third on the team in kills per game, described the team as hard fighting and positive. This gutsy style of play may account for the remarkable winning streak following the loss to Princeton. Captain Erica Tarin, CC '00, one of the team's two seniors, said of the Princeton game, "We competed well. It was a rough match. Our learning curve wasn't as good as it could have been. I think if we had changed some things, especially on defense, we could have won. It was a very emotional match and just didn't go our way." The Bulldogs have responded by paying particular attention to defense in their preparations for Brown. "We've broken the team down," Tarin said. "We've looked at tapes of how they play and we know what they like to do. We know which hitters they usually go to and what we are going to do on defense. We also know what shots go down well on them, and during practice we prepare by playing in the style of the other team."

Determination, dedication, solid athleticism, and sound teamwork has led to Yale's success this year. According to Green, despite its large number of players, the team works well together and even uses its size to its advantage. Coach Peg Scofield is in the comfortable position of being able to substitute "fresh bodies, so everybody can contribute her fullest."

The upcoming schedule is filled with crucial games, but fortunately the team will have a break before the Harvard-Dart-mouth weekend. On Fri., Oct. 22, the squad battles Brown, and on Sun., Oct. 24, the opponent will be Stony Brook, a non-conference opponent. "They're a solid team," Tarin said. "They will give us more practice and more confidence and will help to prepare us for our next big weekend." The game should provide a break from the otherwise physically and emotionally strenuous sequence of upcoming events.

The Bulldogs continue to remain focused, taking one game at a time, knowing in the back of their minds that the Ivy League tournament is on the horizon. If all goes well they will enter seeded No. 1, but between now and the tournament lie three critical Ivy League games in which they will face two of the top-ranked teams. The team is on pace to improve on last year's 21-10 record and third place Ivy League finish."It's going to be intense. Whoever wins will be at the top of the Ivy League, and whoever loses will be in the middle of the pack," Tarin said.

Photo by Andrew Heid.

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