The Dartmouth women's volleyball team lost four straight games while competing in North Carolina State University's Raleigh Crabtree Valley Marriott Classic over the weekend. Earlier this month, the team (2-4) opened its season with wins against University of Rhode Island (2-5) and Quinnipiac University (0-8).
Dartmouth faced its toughest competition of the season at the North Carolina tournament, co-captain Megan MacGregor '10 said.
"It was a big lesson for us to learn that we have to play at our level and concentrate on our side of the net," she said. "I would rather those lessons be learned in non-Ivy play."
After losing 3-0 to Xavier University (5-5) during the first game of the tournament, the Big Green lost its next three games by a final score of 3-2. Dartmouth held its own against DePaul University (5-5), Rutgers (3-7), and N.C. State (6-5), but could not pull away with a win in the fifth set.
Dartmouth split sets against N.C. State 25-20 and 22-25, then dropped the third set. The team bounced back to win the fourth set, but lost the fifth and final set, 15-8.
Co-captain Morgan Covington '10 earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after making six blocks against N.C. State and four against Rutgers. Madeline Baird '12 recorded a double-double with 20 kills and 14 digs, and Amber Bryant '12 had her second consecutive game with 20 or more digs.
The tournament offered Dartmouth the opportunity to practice fifth-set games against tough opponents, which will benefit them during Ivy League play.
The Big Green started off the season strong with wins against Rhode Island on Sept. 4 and Quinnipiac on Sept. 8. Rhode Island won the first set, but Dartmouth rallied to win the second and third. The Big Green fought for a 26-24 win in the second set, and went on to dominate the third 25-17. The Rams rebounded to win the fourth set before Dartmouth secured a close fifth set win and the victory.
Covington recorded a .727 hitting percentage with eight kills and zero errors, which is the third-highest in school history. Krista Merchat '12 led both teams with 13 kills and four blocks, and Kendall Houston '12 was the top setter with 35.
After rallying with Rhode Island for much of the game, Dartmouth was well prepared to take on Quinnipiac four days later. The Big Green won in straight sets, and a number of players scored double-figure kills and digs. Baird led the team in kills with 13, and hit an impressive .684 for the match. Houston was the top setter for the second match in a row.
The Big Green tied for sixth place in the Ivy League with Brown last year. Its biggest competition this season will come from Yale, the defending Ivy League champion, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania. The team is focused on playing one game at a time and hopes to go undefeated at home this year, MacGregor said.
Dartmouth takes on Providence College tonight at 6 p.m. in Providence, R.I., before hosting Sacred Heart University, Central Connecticut State University, and Northeastern University this weekend at the Dartmouth Invitational.
