Sports Shorts

Tough defense and frosh talent spur Elis past Eastern Kentucky

JULIA TIERNAN/YH The volleyball team faces a challenging season ahead.

"Most of our starters from last season are returning, but the freshmen are always ready to step onto the floor.  They push the starters to play better," Colette FitzGerald, SY '01, said.

The Bulldogs kicked off their season with the Alaska Nanook Classic last weekend. Only upperclassmen participated in this event, which included three non-conference matches against Alaska-Fairbanks, Gon-zaga, and Eastern Kentucky. After dropping two games on Fri., Sept. 8 and Sat., Sept. 9 to Alaska-Fairbanks (12-15, 5-15, 12-15) and Gonzaga (9-15, 10-15, 12-15), Yale rallied with a victory over Eastern Kentucky (15-6, 13-15, 15-5, 15-9) on Sunday to finish the tour-nament 1-2.

According to Head Coach Peg Scofield, the team's strong defense was the determining factor in its big win.  "Everybody played really well against Eastern Kentucky over the weekend," she said. "This was the best defense we played this year or even last year. We're off to a great start."

The team finished with a total of 14 blocks, and Stephanie McMahon, TC '01, and Aileen Daly, SY '01, collected 18 and 14 defensive digs respectively. On offense, Daly contributed 43 assists, connecting with Vanessa Herald, ES '02, for 13 kills and with Candace Green, JE '02, for 14 more.

Next on the Bulldogs' schedule is the Yale Invitational, which will be held in New Haven from Fri., Sept. 15 to Sat., Sept. 16. The players hope to maintain their defensive intensity and work on their communication and interaction.

"We have awesome defensive players and the team seems to have really good chemistry. Plus, there is constant positive reinforcement from the players and coaches," Jenna Wehder, PC '04, said.

"The team will continue to work on the challenges faced in our last tournament and fine tune them for our games at home this weekend," Green added. "We would really like to see our fans come out and support us."
—Rachel Luberda



MEN'S HOCKEY

Defender returns for second round as assistant coach

Former Eli hockey defenseman Bruce Wolanin, JE '91, will replace Assistant Coach John Hamre this season. Hamre left in August to join the U.S. Hockey National Team Development Program.

Wolanin, a four-time letter winner under head coach Tim Taylor, earned his B.S. in biology from Yale. The Winnipeg native played professionally for the Dayton Bombers from 1991-1992.  He returned to Yale in 1995 for three seasons as assistant coach.  His tenure culminated in Yale's first championship appearance at the ECAC in 1998. He left Yale in 1998 to spend more time with his family and to pursue a master's degree in exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut. 

"I think the combination of high-level athletics and education at Yale is better than anything you can get anywhere else," Wolanin said. "It has been very interesting to me to see how the players have developed in the two years I have been gone. My underclassmen are now all seniors.  They are the leaders of the team.  One of the reasons I came back was that I liked these guys so much." 

Wolanin has much to look forward to this year, including two games against Notre Dame in late January at the New Haven Coliseum.  Taylor may be an assistant coach at the National Junior Tournament when the Bulldogs play Michigan State in December, placing more responsibility on the shoulders of the assistant coaches, a time Wolanin is looking forward to. 

"It's a pretty fortunate situation for Yale hockey," Taylor says. "Bruce is right back in the swing of things. I'm thrilled to have him back. Usually when a team loses an assistant coach, it has to make adjustments. Here, it will be a smooth transition."
—Puja Maewal 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Set to score again

The women's soccer team is expected to continue its tradition of excellence; under Head Coach Rudy Meredith, the Bulldogs have reached postseason play in each of the last four years.

Since his arrival six years ago, Meredith has tied the school record twice for most wins in a season (13) and is seven wins shy of becoming the most successful women's soccer coach in Yale history. This year's Elis boast a 3-0-1 record, and the players have already passed their 1999 midseason scoring total with seven goals from Katherine Sims, CC '04. Eight returning starters and four freshmen create a talented core for the team.

The team will have to overcome the loss of three All-Ivy League defenders, but goalie Sarah Peterson, PC '02—who has played in all but two games since arriving at Yale, and posted a 1.15 goals against average and a .796 save percentage last year—returns.

Lauren Gillies, BR '02, led the Eli offense in thrashing Marist and Stony Brook in back-to-back 7-0 victories last week. "Once our team gets that initial goal, we gain a lot of confidence and it gets us into a groove that sets the tone for the whole game," defender Jen Mendoza said. The midfield, led by Heather Jones, TC '01, last year's second-leading scorer, forms a solid foundation for the entire team.

"This is the most important week of the season," Meredith said. "Wins over big teams like Hartford and Princeton will provide the team with the confidence necessary to bring them up to a higher level of play."
—Kevin Tran

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