Sports
Volleyball sports winning record as stretch of home games begins
By Mary Lundin ’19
October 6, 2016
Tags sports
After winning their eighth game of the season against St. Lawrence, the Hamilton Continentals resumed their competitive fall schedule with an away match on Saturday, Oct. 1 against the Connecticut College Camels at Luce Field House in New London, Connecticut. This conference match between neck-and-neck teams Hamilton and Connecticut College is the Continental’s ninth match away from home. With unwavering determination, expert skill and great teamwork, Hamilton defeated Connecticut College for the first time since 2002, placing them 5-4 overall and 2-2 in NESCAC. Connecticut College (7-5, 2-2) had won its last 13 matches against Hamilton.
Hamilton hit .250 (12-4-32) in winning the first set, 25-19. The Continentals won the second set with an identical score. Connecticut College returned for the third set with overwhelming eagerness to regain the lead, posting 25-18 and 25-22 victories in the third and fourth sets, respectively. Hamilton strongly completed the fifth set with a 15-8 win, clinching the match.
Bolstered by excellent rankings at Hamilton and in the NESCAC, the Continentals managed to use numerous individual strengths to lead them to victory. Giuliana Rankin ’20, leading the Continentals in kills, posted 11 kills and five blocks throughout the five-set match. Erin Donahue ’18, leading in kills along with Rankin, scored her third double double this season with 10 kills and 12 digs.
Kyndal Burdin ’18 led the team with 39 assists and 16 digs. Burdin not only ranks fifth on the Continentals all-time list with 1,427 assists for her Hamilton career but also is ranked third in NESCAC for assists per set. Margaret O’Brien ’18 secured her 200th career block last weekend, placing her fifth in NESCAC in blocks per set and 11th with a .254 hitting percentage.
Meghan Wilkinson ’19 currently ranks eighth in the conference in aces per set, and served four of them against the Camels. Christine Zizzi ’18 hammered three aces and helped lead the defense with 15 digs. Zizzi is third in the NESCAC in digs per set. Margaret O’Brien ’18 and Courtney Brown ’18 provided excellent defense for the Continentals with seven blocks and 14 digs, respectively.
Claire Kitz ’19 shared her thoughts on some of the pre-game saying “I think one of our greatest strengths is focusing on failure recovery. It’s a lot of discipline and mental strength.” Clearly, the Continentals were able to recover well from their third and fourth set losses, by virtually doubling Connecticut College’s score in the fifth set to ultimately clinch the win. Kitz also commented, “What works really well for us is focusing on what we can do well; maximizing on our strengths and not thinking too much about what is happening on the other side.” The Continentals not only used each of their individual strengths to clinch a win, but also managed to focus on what they can do here and now rather than worrying what their opponents may do, a strategy essential to maintaining focus and concentration throughout the match. Kitz added that the future of the season looks even more exciting: she stated, “We can’t wait for our upcoming home games and what this year holds for us! We have such a great team culture.” Excitement and an excellent team dynamic not only will strengthen the Continental’s already outstanding skillfulness as a team, but also will further motivate the Continentals to push each other and strive for the best in their upcoming competitive schedule.
After nine away games to start 2016, the Continentals hosted Cazenovia College on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Hamilton won easily in a three-game sweep, in which they recorded season-highs in kills (49), assists (48) and hitting percentage (.389). Leading the way in this game were O’Brien and Jessica Weston ’17, who each recorded 11 kills, while Wilkinson registered 25 assists and Christine Zizzi ’18 managed 12 digs.
Following Tuesday’s game against Cazenovia, the Continentals next five games will be played at home at the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. Specifically, four NESCAC teams come to Clinton in a nine-day period, giving Hamilton a chance to improve even more and raise their already impressive ranking in the NESCAC.