On the heels of a four-game Friday night loss to Harvard, Dartmouth jumped out to an impressive start against the Black Bears and held on for the victory, sweeping Maine, 30-18, 30-25, 30-27.
After a decidedly dominant performance by the Big Green in the first game, Maine bounced back in the second game to take an early lead that held for most of the game. Dartmouth, however, would not be denied. Down the stretch they kept their composure and managed to come out on top.
"We made some key plays and kept our composure and finished out that game on top, which is something I am truly proud of," Megan MacGregor '10 said. "In volleyball it is always tough to switch the momentum of a game like that especially when a team has a lead for so long. That momentum carried over to the third game which we also won."
Indeed, the final game was also a struggle between the squads. Maine managed to keep the game close, but Dartmouth came out the victor.
MacGregor, a first-year outside hitter, led all players with 10 digs. She also recorded 12 kills with 21 attempts without making a single error to record her first double-double of the season.
"I focused on making the least amount of unforced errors," MacGregor said. "I tried mostly to place the ball in areas where Maine's defense would have a hard time returning it."
On the defensive side, outside hitter Jess Thomas '09, setter/right side hitter Kate Hirsch '08 and outside hitter Sandy Barbut '08 all had double-digit digs. Hirsch complemented this stat with 33 assists to establish the Big Green attack.
"My role on the court is to distribute the ball to my hitters and get them the best match-ups possible," Hirsch said. "So if I have a lot of assists it means that our hitters are getting good opportunities to put the ball away."
As the Big Green prepares to enter the heart of the Ivy League season, both Hirsch and Macgregor expect a 2006 campaign filled with more wins.
"Winning the Ivy League is our main goal and I completely believe that we will," Hirsch said. "All we have to do is play our game and force our opponents to play to our style as well. I have the utmost confidence in every single team member -- more so than any season before. I expect big things from this team."
The Big Green expects to carry this momentum over to Tuesday when Dartmouth will open at home against instate rival, the University of New Hampshire. Looking ahead to Friday, Dartmouth could avenge their road loss to the Harvard Crimson in Hanover during the first day of the Dartmouth Invitational.
