The mood was somber in Leede Arena as the Dartmouth women's volleyball team suffered a disappointing loss to the University of New Hampshire last night.
As the match began, it was clear that the New Hampshire team was determined to win. They took the first game by a decisive 15-3.
"They came in the gym ready to play," Dartmouth head coach Ann Marie Larese said after the match. "They had a huge height advantage. We couldn't play at their pace."
The Big Green began to pick up their pace in the second game. Down by a score of 2-11, they tried to come back but were only able to gain two more points before the Wildcats took the game.
However, the opening of the third game made it clear that Dartmouth was not going to sit by passively and let UNH take the match.
The Big Green came out strong, winning the first five points of the game. UNH had to work to bring the score back up to 5-4, only to lose the serve to Dartmouth once again.
After several minutes with no points scored, the Big Green brought the score to 6-4 and later 7-4. However, as the Wildcats began to gain confidence, they tied up the game and then took the lead at 8-7.
As the game continued, the two teams battled fiercely, scraping out points from short possessions. Dartmouth won a long volley to bring the score to 12-14. In the end, however, the Wildcats' height and power won out with a final score of 12-15.
The Big Green's youth and inexperience was a factor in the game, with Anne Jakle '03 and Jordan Schmidt '03 playing key roles.
"The freshmen are getting better," Larese said. "My hope is that the kids are learning" from playing strong teams like UNH.
The team captains Anne Murray '00 and Janna Merryfield '00 also played big roles and tried to keep the team focused. Merryfield and Jen Madsen '02 led the team in kills with 9 apiece.
This coming weekend, the Big Green will confront the challenge of the Hartford Tournament. There they will face Hartford University, Long Island University and Sacred Heart University.
As Larese said, for this coming weekend and the rest of the season, "either the glass is half full or half empty. I think it's half full."
