While most students were away from campus enjoying the final days of summer vacation, the Dartmouth women's volleyball team hit the court and racked up a very successful 8-2 record.
Captain Jessie Hartman '11 was excited about how the team started its Fall. "It's the best start since I've been here," Hartman said.
The Big Green showed no first-game jitters, beginning its season with a dominating performance at the Sacred Heart Invitational in Fairfield, Conn. After shutting down Jacksonville University 3-0, the women went on to beat both Binghamton University and Lehigh University, 3-1, claiming the tournament title.
The Big Green carried its winning momentum onto the Quinnipiac Invitational in Hamden, Conn., where the team did not lose a set. The Dartmouth women swept the University of Hartford, Quinnipiac University and St. Peter's University, 3-0, to pave their path to a second tournament title.
Hartman said the Big Green felt confident going into the Invitationals. The teams it faced were not particularly easy foes, and Dartmouth fulfilled its goal of coming out on top.
"I think we were just really prepared to play," Hartman said. "We had a really good Spring season so we were excited to see how these games would turn out."
On the Tuesday following the Quinnipiac tournament, the women traveled to Smithfield, R.I., where they topped the Bryant Bulldogs in a 3-1 (25-13, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18) victory. The Dartmouth win shattered Bryant's five-game winning streak. Kendall Houston '12 notched a double-double for the Big Green, amassing 38 assists and 13 digs. Amber Bryant '12 collected 40 digs, while Annie Villanueva '12 racked up 17 kills and Kelsey Johnson '11 had six blocks for the Big Green.
Villanueva is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
The Dartmouth women finally met their match at the University of New Hampshire Invitational in Durham, N.H., where the Big Green women swept Rutgers University 3-0 but lost to the University of New Hampshire and Sacred Heart University, 2-3 and 1-3, respectively.
"In the third invitational we definitely faced the most challenging opponents, but we still played well and learned a lot," Villanueva said.
The match against rival UNH was a close one, with game scores 25-22, 24-26, 25-23, 24-26 and 9-15. Play was even throughout the match, with several lead changes, though, ultimately, the Wildcat offense got the best of the Dartmouth women. Madeline Baird '12 finished with match with 21 kills, while Houston collected 38 assists and Bryant had 24 digs.
"The UNH game was pretty disappointing for us," Hartman said. "We were really hoping to win that game, and it was our first loss."
Dartmouth also struggled in its match against Sacred Heart. Though the Big Green hit an impressive .323 in the first set, Sacred Heart fought hard and still managed a come-from-behind win. The Dartmouth women took the next set, but Sacred Heart went on to take the final two and thus, the win. Despite the loss, Baird achieved a double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs, while Villanueva had 10 kills and eight blocks.
Although the team suffered the two losses at the UNH Invitational, the team remains confident about the start of its season and is not dwelling on the minor setbacks at UNH, Hartman said.
"We're still feeling really good despite the loss," she said.
The team will look to carry its momentum going into its first Ivy League match-up at home this Friday when it will host Harvard University at 7 p.m.
"I think we're ready to start playing Ivies, and we're confident about our chances going into Friday," Hartman said.
