On Tuesday night the Dartmouth women's volleyball team showed what a difference a year can make. The ladies in green emerged victorious from a back-and-forth, five-game, 144-minute marathon against in-state rival UNH in Durham (30-28, 30-32, 30-27, 26-30, 15-13). The win helped to erase memories of a dismal 1-7 start to 2004 that was capped by a three-game loss to the same Wildcats of UNH.
With the victory, the Big Green improves to 5-3, just one win shy of the team's entire 2004 total of six victories. And head coach Ann Marie Larese was thrilled with the performance of her players.
"We played incredible," said Larese, now in her 12th season with the team. "This team battled back and played really well. I am so proud of this team. This was a huge win over a very good team."
For the match, the Big Green outhit their counterparts .202 to .186, served 12 aces, and had a thrilling fifth game comeback that saw Dartmouth turn a 2-7 deficit into a 15-13 triumph. According to outside hitter Sarah Nadler '06, however, it was the team's defense that paved the way to victory.
"We had great serve receive passing and our block totally shut down UNH's two biggest hitters," she said.
Leading the Green throughout the match was outside hitter Jess Thomas '09, who logged a match-high 26 kills at an impressive .439 hitting percentage in addition to 14 digs. The 5'-11" freshman from Tampa, Fla., has quickly made a name for herself, achieving Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors after a terrific performance in last weekend's Red Fox Classic at Marist College. Thomas led Dartmouth to a tournament title and was named to the All-Tournament Team, posting 41 kills and 32 digs in three matches.
Despite her individual accomplishments, she credits her teammates for making her early success possible. "It has been extremely exciting to have an impact this early on but I could not have been this successful without the help of the whole team," said Thomas.
Nadler and setter/right side hitter Katie Hirsch '08 also notched double-doubles Tuesday night. Nadler tallied 13 kills and 16 digs, while Hirsch had 10 kills to go along with 29 assists. Nadine Parris '06 chipped in with eight kills and a team-high five blocks.
Outside hitter Erin Walker led UNH with 23 kills and 8 digs. The loss drops the Wildcats to 2-12 on the young season.
With only two juniors and seniors on the 14-player roster, the Green's early season success is all the more notable. According to Nadler, the team's only fourth -- year player, however, the youth movement has only served to better the squad.
"We're really young this year, but I think that also makes us fearless," she said. "We have nothing to lose and we're playing like it. The freshmen have really great energy, and they are already stepping up and playing big roles for us on the team."
With Dartmouth's home opener set for 7 p.m. Friday night, the team's young guns will not have to wait much longer to find out where they stand in relation to the Ivy League elite. The Big Green will host the Dartmouth Invitational this weekend, and the reigning co-Ivy champion Crimson will try and crash the party. A year ago Harvard swept the Green in two matches.
For Dartmouth, however, the new season has brought about a new sense of confidence. "We are so excited and ready for this match," said Hirsch. "Our practices have been great lately and I have the utmost confidence in our team for this weekend."
The Green will round out the weekend with a 5 p.m. match against Maine on Saturday afternoon.
