Women's Volleyball continues to struggle through re-building year with loss to Adelphi
Rebecca Martin
Issue date: 10/30/03 Section: Sports
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The women's volleyball team lost a heartbreaker of a game last Friday night. The team, who is in the NCAA Division II field, played the Adelphi University Panthers, who are from Long Island New York.
The team has had a tough season with many disappointments, such as losing two of their best players to injuries and coping with the graduation of nearly all of their starters from last year. The majority of the team consists of freshman, having no sophomores, a few juniors, and only one senior.
The team has been very successful in the past, winning the P.S.A.C. Eastern Division championship in 2000 and 2001. After Friday's loss, that puts the team at a 6-22 record, which is disappointing to a team that has much potential.
Volleyball is a fast-paced game. The first team to win three matches wins the game, so in theory it is a best out of five match series. The matches are played to thirty points. The first match went to ESU, with solid defensive blocking from freshman Jen Mills, and Lindsay Newmyer. Although the advantage was with East Stroudsburg, the match went down to the wire, but the girls prevailed, winning the match 30-29.
The second match was just as close as the first. Although the game was tight, ESU had the advantage in defensive blocking, with most of the girls on the team having a height of over 5'9". After a tough battle, ESU lost the second match 30- 27.
In the third match, Adelphi started out with the early lead, but ESU fought back to bring the game within two points at midway. The girls battled it out, trading the lead numerous times, but Adelphi eventually won the match 30-26.
In the fourth match, ESU took the early lead. With Senior Deidra Nonnemacher serving, the ladies rallied, going up 12-5 on the Panthers. The Warriors dominated the fourth match, winning 30-16, forcing a deciding fifth and final match. In this final match, the teams only play up to fifteen points.
Adelphi took an early lead and never lost their composure, winning the match 15-11, and winning the game three matches to two.
When asked, the coach of the lady Warriors felt that many things had plagued the team this year. The team lost two of their key players for the season because of injuries. Also, being that the team is comprised of mainly freshman, the team lacks experience but have much to look forward to in upcoming years, as the girls get more game time.
The coach also explained that two players, Jen Mills and Lindsay Newmyer, have really stepped up to fill the shoes of the injured girls.