Sports
Just like in 2010, women’s volleyball begins season 4-0
By Stephen LaRochelle '14, Sports Contributor
September 7, 2011
While most Hamilton varsity sports teams were still in preseason mode this past weekend, the women’s volleyball team notched four regular season victories in as many matches, emerging from their season opening Hamilton Invitational tournament with an unblemished record.
The Continentals opened the tournament on Friday afternoon by swiftly and easily defeating The Sage Colleges in three straight games. Megan McCareins ’14 led the attack with 10 kills while Brenna Corrigan ’14 chipped in with 7. Emma Lonadier ’15 confidently paced the offense in her first collegiate match, notching 21 assists and 2 service aces, complementing the 13 assists and consistently strong serving from Cecelie Pikus ’13.
The win was especially impressive considering the limited time frame in which the team had to prepare for their opening game.
“After only a week of playing together, we clicked really well as a team this weekend,” outside hitter Megan McCareins noted. “It’s a good indicator of our chemistry.”
The Continentals returned to the court an hour later to meet up with SUNY Plattsburgh. Plattsburgh gave Hamilton all they could handle, extending the match to five games before falling victim to a Continental attack that became more potent as the game progressed. Meredith Nuber ’14 and McCareins dominated the offense, while Nuber was providing thundering hits from the middle and McCareins ripping attacks from the outside.
The tournament continued on Saturday; Hamilton dropped only one game to SUNY Canton en route to a 3-1 victory. As a result, Hamilton and Southern Vermont both entered the final tournament game unbeaten. While it was not a championship game in actuality, the match assumed the intensity and atmosphere of a tournament final.
At first, the Continentals struggled to return the powerful serves of Southern Vermont, who posted an impressive 15 service aces during the match. Still, Hamilton persevered in a match in which rallies were notoriously long and no points came easily. The back and forth match came down to the fifth game, in which Hamilton quickly went up 4-0 behind a couple of clutch kills from Amanda Cohen ’13. Nuber, who finished the match with 13 kills, picked up where Cohen left off as the Continentals commanded the fifth game, winning 15-7.
“They were very competitive and showed us a lot of things we hadn’t seen before,” Cecelie Pikus ’13 noted. “It took us a little while, but we adjusted and eventually pulled out a great win.”
2011 is the second straight year in which Hamilton started the season with four non-conference victories. In 2010, the Continentals started 4-0 before dropping nine of ten matches against NESCAC foes.
Captain Rachel Irizarry ’12 is the lone senior, but by no means does Hamilton lack for experience or leadership. All but one major contributor returns from the successful 2010 campaign in which the program won 13 games for the first time since 1999.
“We’re a young team,” added Pikus, “but we have talent and depth at each position.”
Based on the intensity and positive results from this weekend, it is clear that Coach Erin Glaser and the Hamilton players have no desire to be complacent with the relative success of 2010.
“I think we have a great shot at making the NESCAC playoffs this year,” Pikus confidently asserted. McCareins put things another way. “[This weekend] was our first step in redefining our name and reputation in the NESCAC. I want to see us put a little fear in NESCAC teams that wasn’t there before. I think this team can do that.”
Time will tell, but the Hamilton Invitational proved that the potential for improvement in NESCAC play is clearly there.