The volleyball team (1-1 Patriot League, 6-5 overall) held its first two home matches last Friday and Saturday. The Leopards lost to reigning Patriot League champion Colgate University (2-0 Patriot League, 4-8 overall) in straight sets on Friday but turned their momentum around against the College of the Holy Cross (0-2 Patriot League, 2-9 overall) on Saturday to win in three sets.
Beginning the weekend with a Friday night matchup against Colgate, their first Patriot League opponent of the season, the Maroon and White got out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set thanks to a pair of aces from junior libero Emily Gouldrup, the Raiders went on a 12-1 run midway through the set to take a commanding 22-15 lead.
The Raiders would continue to clinch the first set 25-17. The Leopards only put up 13 points in each of the next two sets and Colgate closed them out comfortably in three.
Following the shutout loss, the Leopards rebounded against Holy Cross Saturday to notch their first Patriot League win in straight sets.
“We wanted to come in with a lot of energy and really flush yesterday,” junior middle blocker Hannah Ehrich-Pollock said. “We wanted to come in really strong with our serving spots and our blocking.”
The Maroon and White got off to a hot 7-2 start thanks to aces from Gouldrup, sophomore outside hitter Emma Patmon and sophomore setter Anna Van Wyk. The Leopards would continue to capitalize on Holy Cross errors throughout the first set to lead 23-15.
While the Crusaders surged to reach 21 points, the Maroon and White closed out the set thanks to a kill from freshman outside hitter Destiny McKenzie.
After a tight start to the second set, the Leopards earned 11 points from Holy Cross errors to win 25-18.
Junior middle blocker Abby Nicholson and Ehrich-Pollock each had strong games — Nicholson had a career-high six kills, while Ehrich-Pollock hit for a season-best .500 attacking percentage. Both middle blockers also tallied five total blocks.
“I think blocking has been huge for middles especially and just getting really strong at watching the other side of the court and staying present,” Ehrich-Pollock said.
The Leopards shot out to a 12-5 lead in the third set and, despite a Crusaders’ rally to narrow the deficit to two at 18-16, the Maroon and White won seven of the last nine points to clinch the set and the game.
Nicholson emphasized the importance of the team’s block setup and mid-game offensive adjustments to its overall success.
“If one of their hitters is having a great game, we’ll cheat their way to block them ultimately,” Nicholson said. “Just seeing what they’re doing and then adjusting to it, whether it’s quicker sets or keeping the tempo quick on our side, so then we’re able to swing before the block can even be set up.”
Ehrich-Pollock noted that the win against Holy Cross will serve as “motivation” for the team moving forward.
“I think staying on it — this is a great win — but really pushing ourselves in practice to get better and continue to improve is going to be huge for us,” she said.
The Leopards will continue Patriot League play away against rival Lehigh University (1-1 Patriot League, 8-4 overall) on Friday, then will travel to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to face Bucknell University on Saturday.
