October 27, 2011
Seven consecutive victories, two tournament championships, one NESCAC Player of the Week honoree and the first program victory over Trinity College since 1993. Not a bad last two weeks for the Hamilton women’s volleyball team.
On Oct. 14 and 15, Hamilton captured the Hartwick College tournament championship after defeating Utica and triumphing twice over Hartwick. This past weekend, the Continentals won four more matches, defeating SUNY Morrisville, Keuka College, MCLA and, most impressively, NESCAC foe Trinity College to garner the championship crown of Hamilton’s own Continental Classic.
The win over Trinity was especially satisfying because of the heartbreaking five set loss the Continentals had suffered to them earlier in the year.
“We came out to play really fired up,” outside hitter Amanda Cohen ’13 noted. “We wanted to prove that just because they beat us before doesn’t mean they could do it again.”
After losing the first set 25-18, Hamilton bounced back with a vengeance to the win next three.
“We didn’t find ourselves getting in ruts or discouraged when Trinity scored,” Cohen added. “We were motivated to retaliate and use our energy to fight hard and win.”
The strong Hamilton defensive effort was led by Anna Brown ’15, whose efforts in Hamilton’s four victories earned her the programs’ first NESCAC Player of the Week award this season. Against Trinity, she led the team with a game-high 28 digs.
“It’s really exciting to have a Hamilton player honored by the NESCAC,” Cohen explained. “She’s done a great job leading our defense all season and has really taken charge of the back row.” With 369 digs on the year, Brown has been consistent at the position of libero all season. That puts her sixth among all NESCAC players.
“She is all over the place in the back row and very disciplined in getting to her spot on defense,” outside hitter Megan McCareins ’14 noted. “Her energy on the court is awesome.”
Adding to the strong defense of Brown was Rachel Irizarry ’12, whose 16 digs moved her to into fifth place in digs in Hamilton volleyball history, and Ally Martella ’13 who blocked four Hamilton attacks.
“Our block was a huge asset to us shutting down Trinity’s offense.” McCareins explained. “We did a great job of playing scrappy and not letting anything hit the floor.”
McCareins led the offense with 12 kills. Ava Kelley ’15 pitched in nine, Ally Martella ’13 chipped in eight and Meredith Nuber ’15 added seven. Against Morrisville, Nuber posted 11 kills in only 16 attempts for an outrageously high hitting percentage of .625. Nuber is currently second in the NESCAC in hitting percentage.
After a series of heartbreaking “almosts” in NESCAC play in 2011, Hamilton made a statement for the future in their win over Trinity.
“I’m really excited to see what we can accomplish in the 2012 season after having a year of experience playing together,” Cohen explained. The team’s youth is one source of that excitement. Irizarry is the only senior on this years 17-10 team.
“With nearly everyone returning, we expect to be a strong force in the NESCAC next season.”