The Dartmouth women's volleyball team claimed its own Invitational and squashed any fears of a letdown after an emotional Friday night win over Harvard, defeating the Maine Black Bears 3-1 Saturday afternoon at Leede Arena. The victory was the Big Green's sixth in a row and improved the team's record to 7-3 (1-0 Ivy).
Dartmouth was able to overcome Maine with aggressive serving, a punishing attack, and solid serve receiving. But after dropping the first game 28-30, Dartmouth first had to overcome what middle blocker Frances Samolowicz '08 called a lack of focus and intensity early on.
"I think everyone was so excited from the win over Harvard the previous night that we weren't ready for a new game right away," said Samolowicz, who was named to the all-tournament team with 14 kills, seven blocks, and just one hitting error in the two matches. The victory over Harvard was Dartmouth's first against the Crimson since 2001 and the first time in school-history that the victory came in three games.
Beginning in the second game, however, Dartmouth assumed control of the match. Knotted at seven, setter/right side hitter Katie Hirsch '08 gave Maine fits with a jump float serve, reeling off eight consecutive service points and allowing Dartmouth to jump out to a 15-7 lead that they would not relinquish. The Green would win the game 30-27.
According to Hirsch, Dartmouth's strong serving helped the team throughout the match. "Our tough serving put a lot of pressure on them [Maine] to make plays when they were out of system."
The third game was back and forth throughout, with both teams taking turns going on four and five point runs. Down 23-25, however, Dartmouth was able to go on a point streak when it mattered most, winning seven of the game's last eight points behind the hard serves of Sandy Barbut '08 and Elise Krieger '08 to take the game 30-26.
In the fourth and final game, outside hitter and rookie sensation Jess Thomas '09 dominated at the net with a combination of thunderous hitting and an impenetrable block. Behind Barbut's serve, Thomas had two blocks and a kill in a crucial six-point run that turned a tied game into a commanding 20-14 advantage. And Dartmouth would not look back, taking the final game 30-26.
Thomas -- who was named to her third all-tournament team of the young season -- led Dartmouth with 17 kills and 13 digs to go along with five blocks. The versatile Hirsch also added a double-double, tallying 11 kills and 31 assists, catching Maine on their heels throughout the match with deceptive setter dumps that would innocently fall between befuddled Maine defenders. Samolowicz added eight kills and six blocks, leading the team with a .500 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Kaili Jordan led the Black Bears with 21 kills, while freshman outside hitter Lindsay Allman tacked on 16 kills and 20 digs. With the loss, Maine fell to 3-8 on the season.
In the last eight days, Dartmouth has captured both the Marist and Dartmouth Invitationals, defeated last season's co-Ivy League champion Harvard Crimson, and avenged a 2004 loss to in-state rival UNH. Having already won more matches than they did in the entirety of last season, the Dartmouth players are soaring. "Winning early in the season has been so key for us," said Samolowicz. "We have the confidence we can and should win games, which is a completely different feeling from last year. Everyone on the team expects a lot from themselves and from each other, which is really helping us play well."
Dartmouth will travel to Cambridge next weekend for the Harvard Invitational, where Harvard (2-6, 0-1) will seek to avenge the three-game shellacking they took from Dartmouth Friday night. According to Big Green captain Sarah Nadler '06, however, defeating Harvard on the road will require Dartmouth's best efforts. "We're really excited for this weekend, but we know that it's going to be a tough match and we're going to have to really focus in their gym and let nothing distract us from our game," she said.
The Big Green will conclude next weekend with a Saturday afternoon match against Sacred Heart.
