The women’s volleyball team defeated the Hood College Blazers 3-0 last Tuesday in a Commonwealth Conference match at Thompson Gymnasium. The Elizabethtown College Blue Jays got kills from 11 players and broke a 6-6 tie in the first set. They wasted no time in getting ahead.
The team was led by senior Holly Bubb’s three kills, while senior Lindsay Palm, sophomore Kelci Scannapieco and first-year Juliana Mowen played up front. “I think we went into tonight’s match knowing we had a good chance of winning,” Bubb said. “We always take conference matches very seriously and know that each point is critical to making it to playoffs and eventually becoming Commonwealth Conference champions.”
After a 25-12 win in the first set, the team earned 11 of the first 17 points early in the second set. They stretched their lead to 22-14, and the Blazers ultimately ended the set by a service error at 25-19 in favor of Etown. During this set, Mowen had two of Etown’s seven aces.
“Our Blue Jays are beginning to play an exciting style of volleyball,” Head Coach Randall Kreider said. “We continue to put the pieces together for a strong run in the end of the conference play.” Kreider said that the team’s middle attack has started to come alive and works to compliment the Blue Jays’ strong blocking and steady defense. “If we can compete hard as a team and work to minimize our errors, we should be able to play tough against any opponent in the region,” Kreider said.
In the third game, Kreider sent in some of the younger players, who won the set at 25-19. Sophomore Samantha Hicks, first-year Megan McNaul and first-year Stephany Staniforth all had kills. First-year Mary Clyne also contributed to the team’s 23 overall kills. Junior Carolyn Lukiewski assisted with 15 digs, first-year Steph High with 10, and sophomore Taylor Beck and Mowen with six each. Bubb said that it was important to win the match in three games. “We won in three short games, which really helps get close to achieving our goal of becoming conference champs,” she said.
During the game, Scannapieco also had her 100th block of the year. Scannapieco currently ranks 19th in the NCAA Division III in blocks per set.
Although the teams were playing against each other for just the third time in 28 years, the win kept the Blue Jays’ record undefeated against the Blazers.
“I think the volleyball team is doing great this year,” Bubb said. “It’s quite a turn-around from last season. I think the new players have adapted very well and the returning players have continued to grow and become stronger players on the court.”
The Blue Jays traveled to Puerto Rico last Thursday and Friday to play in San Juan. Kreider said that traveling to Puerto Rico offered the team a unique opportunity to play against fantastic teams at an even better locale.
“I think it’s a great time for the team to bond off the court and on the court,” Bubb said, before the trip. Bubb said she traveled with the team to Puerto Rico during her first year of college and that it is a great opportunity to test their athleticism.
Kreider said that one difficult difference playing abroad is the international rules, which limit substitutions. “We will have to manage that while effectively using our specialists,” Kreider said.
“Our matches in Puerto Rico don’t necessarily count for anything, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play teams from around the world,” Bubb said.
When playing in Puerto Rico, the team was defeated in the first and second matches 0-3 and 1-3 in the third match.
After their time in Puerto Rico, Etown had to come right back to play a tough match against Stevenson University. The Mustangs, who were 8-0 in the conference before the match, lead in almost every statistical category in the Commonwealth Conference. They are far ahead in the offensive categories of kills (13.63 per set) and assits (12.52 per set), but the Blue Jays have the defensive edge, leading in blocks (2.2 per set) and digs (19.06 per set).
However, the defensive efforts weren’t enough, and the Mustangs pulled of a 3-0 win against the Blue Jays. Etown lost the three sets 25-17, 25-21 and 25-13.