Sports
Volleyball wins two of first four games
By Robert Fitzgerald ’20
September 15, 2016
Tags sports
After winning their season opener at Morrisville State three sets to two, the Hamilton volleyball team went 1-2 this past weekend at the University of Rochester Volleyball Invitational to finish the week with a 2-2 record. The Continentals would be 1-3, however, if not for a thrilling comeback victory against St. John Fisher in the second match of the tournament.
Down two sets to none, things looked dismal early for Hamilton. The visiting Cardinals were having their way with the Continentals, allowing just 34 points through the first two sets. Yet, the home team was able to rally together, winning sets three (25-17) and four (25-20) to narrowly force a decisive fifth set. Playing with all the momentum, the Continentals had no problem finishing the comeback, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead before finishing the deal by a score of 15-8. Comebacks of this nature do not happen everyday. In fact, Saturday’s match was just the first match since October of last season in which the Continentals were able to recover from an 0-2 deficit and win.
Giuliana Rankin ’20 led all players with 17 kills in the match. She did so with outstanding efficiency, recording only one offensive error. Rankin chipped in on defense as well, registering five blocks; her performance against St. John Fisher was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the weekend. In addition, Kyndal Burdin ’18 played extremely well, dishing out 36 assists and keeping alive crucial points with 14 digs. Christine Zizzi ’18 was also pivotal on defense with a team-high of 20 digs.
However, more important than any player’s individual statistics on Saturday is the fact that the Continentals were able to come together as a team and rally to pull off a fantastic comeback. Despite losing their final match later that day versus Brockport, Hamilton still had some positive takeaways from the season’s opening week. Many individuals played well all week, and deserve recognition for their accomplishments. Erin Donahue ’18 was a key part of the team all weekend, and was one of ten players selected to the all-tournament team after finishing with 2.5 kills per set. Her best performance actually came in one of the Continentals losing efforts, when she finished with 14 kills and 10 digs in just four sets of action versus Geneseo.
While opening tournaments are important, it is ultimately the performance in conference play that determines the season’s success. If they want to contend for a spot in this year’s NESCAC tournament, the Continentals will need to fight for every point in each of their conference games. If they play with the spirit and resilience that they showed this past Saturday vs. St. John Fisher, Hamilton will be primed for a great year, even against the toughest of opponents.
Speaking of tough opponents, Hamilton has some fierce competition upcoming. The Continentals will have a good portion of the week to prepare for their first NESCAC matchups of the season, scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. The team will take a road trip to Connecticut for matches against the Wesleyan Cardinals and the Trinity Bantams. Hamilton will come into its match with Wesleyan boasting a 2-1 record. Trinity currently sits at a 1-2 mark, with two games to play prior to their Saturday encounter with the Continentals. Regardless of Trinity’s record going into the contest, Hamilton will try to end their road trip on a good note at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Hartford. It’s been just one week into the year, and Hamilton has already recorded one “marquee victory.”