The Big Green (4-6, 0-0 Ivy) will look to start its season on a high note before renewing Ivy rivalries.
"Non-league games give us an opportunity to improve upon our weaknesses before Ivy matches begin," co-captain Megan MacGregor '10 said. "It's great to go into Ivy play with a winning record from preseason, but Ivy play is the most important."
Friday, the women's squad fell to Sacred Heart University (7-6, 0-0 NEC) in its first match at the Dartmouth Invitational, which featured four teams from New England.
Backed by a home crowd, the Big Green opened the first set with a consistent tempo, recording key blocks down the stretch.
Krista Merchat '12, who led the team with one solo block and six assisted blocks, capped off the defensive display, as she and co-captain Morgan Covington '10 notched a set point with a strong deflection off the Stag attack.
Dartmouth carried its first-set momentum midway into the second set but faltered late, giving Sacred Heart a 25-22 victory and evening the match at 1-1.
The third set saw both teams battle point-for-point. Despite a late Big Green surge led by Kelsey Johnson '11, the Stags were able to edge Dartmouth, 29-27.
The Sacred Heart offense did not back down in the fourth set. Holding off a potential Big Green comeback, the Stags escaped with a 25-23 win to take the match.
"It is clear that our offense needs the most work," MacGregor said. "Our passing has been consistent, but our termination off of serve receive needs improvement."
In Saturday's doubleheader, the women's squad first squared off against Central Connecticut State University (3-10, 0-0 NEC), beating the Blue Devils in straight sets.
Dartmouth grabbed a 14-10 lead early in the first set, but the Blue Devils slowly chipped away at the advantage, bringing the score to 23-23 late in the set. The Big Green survived, winning the final two points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was tight early, but Dartmouth steadily pulled away as Covington served eight straight points to dismantle and dishearten the Blue Devils defense, clinching the set, 25-18.
Maintaining its consistency, the home team decisively closed out the final set, 25-21, with a momentum-shifting kill by Madeline Baird '12 halfway through the period.
The Big Green then faced off against a strong Northeastern University squad that had dropped only one set throughout the invitational. Overmatched, Dartmouth fell in straight sets, finishing the tournament 1-2.
The Big Green was solid through the early goings of the match before the Huskies started to gain ground. Trailing by three at 23-20, the Big Green was unable to force a comeback, as the Northeastern defense stifled any late offensive surge, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
The second set saw the same intensity from both teams. The Huskies, however, were again able to muscle their way past Dartmouth, leading for the majority of the set to cap off a quick 25-18 victory.
"We were playing catch-up the entire match," MacGregor said. "As a team, we need to work on starting each game strong, and keeping our lead rather than trying to make up the deficit."
Quick to rebound, the Big Green came out strong in the third set. Service aces from MacGregor and an impressive kill by Annie Villanueva '12, however, were not enough to overcome a formidable Huskies defense that kept the Big Green offense at bay. Northeastern won the final set 25-18 to complete its sweep of the Invitational.
MacGregor, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished the doubleheader with 16 kills and 18 digs. Kendall Houston '12, also selected to the all-tournament team, and finished with 85 assists over the course of the weekend.
The Big Green's mixed results during the invitational came after its convincing victory over Providence College (6-11, 0-0 Big East) last Tuesday, where Baird posted a game-high 14 kills, while Houston recorded 28 assists.
After a quick first-set win, the Big Green maintained its momentum, led by the offensive tandem of Covington and Houston.
The final set saw a closer fight between the two teams, but Dartmouth was able to seal the win with crucial kills from Baird.
The women's squad will begin its Ivy schedule with a Wednesday road match against Harvard at 6 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.
"Winning our first Ivy matches against Harvard each year is crucial to the success of the rest of our season," MacGregor said. "We always play Harvard both away and home the first two weekends, and winning both provides us with a great amount of confidence going into the rest of our season."
