BY DENNIS FAN

In print | September 11, 2008

The Swarthmore women’s volleyball team improved its record to 1-5 after a weekend journey to the Colby Invitational in Maine. They found their first victory of the season in a five-set thrill ride against Bates College, and a rare taste of not only highly competitive teams outside of the Centennial Conference, but also of Maine’s famous seafood.

On Friday, the volleyball team flew into Manchester, New Hampshire to begin a journey that would take them by van through Freeport, Maine, home of L.L. Bean to Colby College. There, Swarthmore defeated Bates 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 29-27, 15-12 in a gritty two-hour-plus match and split sets with the host college, Colby, 25-19, 25-22, 26-28, 25-16. The excursion to Maine would also take them to Bowdoin College on Sunday where Swarthmore split sets 19-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 and continued their series of challenging matches that would prepare them for Conference matches.

Kearney Bangs ’10 was named All-Tournament, posting 71 assists and 24 digs through the tournament. She continued to play impressively against Bowdoin, posting 96 assists for the entire weekend. Jen Wang ’09 recorded 43 kills during the Colby tournament.

The first-years have adjusted well to the college level, coming through at crucial moments to put Swarthmore ahead in many sets. Their performance is even more impressive because the volleyball team has only eight members this year, providing extra pressure for newcomers to perform and to be fit enough to play the majority of a match.

“I have to give credit to the freshmen on the team. They are a huge part of our team and each person plays a big role on the team. They practice hard and work hard and inspire the upperclassmen to do the same,” Wang said.

Given how well the team has played, the team’s size does not seem to be much of a problem.
“The team dynamic is a lot stronger…we are definitely in better shape to play five-set matches compared to some other teams because we don’t really get a break in practice,” said Sarah Lambert ’11, also adding that the Maine trip was a great way to get to know each other better. Erin Heaney ’09 also mentioned how close-knit their team had become, but cautioned that each member had to pay special attention to health and fitness.

Coach Harleigh Chwastyk commented that the team is the best she has ever coached “on ball control on defense and serve receiving,” partly because the smallness of the team allowed players to recognize each other’s tendencies and subtleties. Chwastyk also complimented the team on its smart offense and its ability to place balls where their opponent’s revealed holes.

However, the team is not only small in numbers, but also in size. Graduating their tallest players last year, the team is lacking a true middle blocker. Still, Wang said she believes that the absence of these key players has motivated the team to work harder on defense.

“We are a really scrappy team and it is hard and frustrating for the other team because they can’t hit the ball down as much as they would like,” she said. In the Bates victory in particular, the team fought hard through many long points where Swarthmore would outlast the opponents to end up with the point.

Looking ahead, the Swarthmore women have developed goals for how they would like their season to unfold. One particular goal was attained this weekend when Swarthmore, for the first time this season, won its first set of a match. A quick look at the other goals will show you that they are not only highly competitive volleyball players, but great athletes and balanced students. The women hope to finish above .500, make conference playoffs, build a large fan base, beat Haverford, finish top three in the conference in sets, digs, and service aces, and to have no regrets.

According to Chwastyk, “Doing the best that they can and leaving their best on the court” was the most important thing.

The team’s busy season continues with Moravian College at 7 p.m. this Wednesday and the Garnet Classic tournament this weekend. Also look forward to the first Centennial Conference match against Bryn Mawr on Sept. 24th.

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