Dartmouth's overall level of play seemed to fluctuate; after giving up seven straight points in the first game, Dartmouth (4-5) played evenly with UNH and held late leads in both the second and third games. However, the Big Green struggled to win decisive rallies and to close out close games.
"I think we should have come out playing more aggressive. In volleyball, you have to have a 'playing to win' attitude rather than a 'playing to not lose' one," Sandy Barbut '08 said.
Dartmouth looked clumsy in the first points of the match as the Wildcats leapt out to a 7-0 lead. Frances Somolowicz '08 had the first Dartmouth kill of the match, as solid serving from Sandy Barbut '08 helped Dartmouth pull back to 14-9. The team fell behind again, but rallied back to 28-23 on the strength of some successful tips from Nadine Parris '07. Unfortunately, UNH finished strong, winning the first game 30-23.
"Giving them a 7-0 lead in the first game really changed the momentum throughout the match. Despite how many errors we made, it shows a lot that we were still in the match," Barbut said.
The second game of the match was much tighter than the first. Outside hitter Megan MacGregor '10's good serving along with an ace from Amanda Marston '10 kept the Big Green close in the early portion of the game. However, strong play from UNH's outside hitters kept Dartmouth from gaining any significant lead.
"Their outside hitters did a good job hitting line and tooling our block," Barbut said.
Parris, who led Dartmouth in both attack percentage at .417 and kills with 14, scored successive points with a tip and a kill to tie the game up at 26-26, but UNH was able to convert on a few Dartmouth errors in the final points of the game to win 30-27.
The Big Green came out with more fire in the third game. After a UNH missed serve sent Sandy Barbut back to the line, she served four straight for Dartmouth to give the team a 9-7 lead. Later in the game, Jess Thomas '09 ended a UNH run with a kill after a long rally. Stepping back to serve, she led Dartmouth on a four point run, tallying a pair of aces.
Both teams fought for the lead in the last few points of the match, tying at 26, 27 and 28, before a block by Somolowicz gave Dartmouth game point at 29-28. The Wildcats caught a break on a Dartmouth touch on a ball out of bounds, however, and the point changed the tenor of the game. UNH proceeded to pull away and end the match on a kill, that made the final score 31-29.
Overall, a lack of solid blocking hurt the Big Green. UNH's outside hitters were able to put a stop to several Dartmouth runs with kills over or around Big Green blockers.
Dartmouth's freshmen did well in their first home game, however. MacGregor had 11 kills and three aces, and Marston served an ace and registered 11 digs. The volleyball team is young overall, starting two freshmen and one sophomore. Parris is the team's only senior. With the team's youth comes hope for the rest of the season.
The Dartmouth volleyball team came into its game on Tuesday seeking another win after defeating Maine last Saturday in three games. After starting the season with three straight losses in the New Mexico Invitational and having lost in four games to rival Harvard the previous Friday, the Big Green women will head into the heart of the season looking for a way to consistently win games.
The Big Green hopes to turn things around this weekend as it hosts the Dartmouth Invitational. The team is set to face Ivy League rival Harvard (4-5, 1-0 Ivy) at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking on Robert Morris and the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday.
