Under the leadership of first-year head coach Erin Lindsey, the Dartmouth volleyball team had a successful preseason, winning four straight games and achieving first place at the Dartmouth Invitational. Although the Big Green (8-3) faltered against its most difficult competition, it was able to gain positive momentum before Ivy League play begins this weekend.
Co-captain Annie Villanueva '12 named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Tuesday said the team's early-season matchups provided it with good experience.
"We didn't have many challenging games, but we did get a lot of training done," she said.
Dartmouth began preseason with three sweeping victories at the Bucknell Tournament over the first weekend of September, achieving 3-0 wins against Manhattan College, Fordham University and Bucknell University.
"Those games really helped us practice our new system and allowed us to play with many different playing combinations," Madeline Baird '12 said.
The team then traveled to play at the Sept. 9 to 11 West Point Challenge, where it faced a group of more difficult opponents. The Big Green defeated Marist College, 3-1, but fell to the University of Arkansas, the United States Military Academy and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Arkansas presented Dartmouth with its greatest competition of the early season, Villanueva said.
"Even though Arkansas was a loss, it was a really good learning experience to play teams that present a challenge to us," she said.
While noting that the Razorbacks are comparable to or better than any team Dartmouth will face in the League, co-captain Amber Bryant '12 said the 3-1 loss made clear that the Big Green has significant room for improvement.
"The League is small and every team is very similar," Bryant said. "No one is much more talented than everyone else, so it's all about how hard you work."
Villanueva said this similarity between teams will result in conference matches that are closer and more intense than the ones Dartmouth experienced in the preseason.
As it seeks to improve, the Big Green will specifically focus on its technique, Lindsey said, noting that most League players rarely commit errors.
"They're very skilled," she said. "They force you to earn your own points."
The Big Green has also paid particularly attention to its focus during each practice in order to be best prepared to face such opponents, Baird said.
"Our coaching staff this year has really emphasized the importance of having an intention each time we practice, challenging us to improve technically every day," she said.
Villanueva praised Lindsey's efforts to develop the team's talent.
"We are working to change the culture on our team and add a level of commitment and hard work," Villanueva said. "We're taking volleyball to a different level than it has been in the past."
Lindsey said her personal goal for the season is to win the League Championship, which is decided solely on regular-season results.
"The first thing to do is prepare for each game the best we can," she said. "We go into every match looking to win, and we plan to do that. As long as we go out there prepared and play our best every game, we'll have success."
Dartmouth begins its League season on Saturday, when it plays Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
