Dartmouth began play on Friday, when the team took on Fairfield (5-5), searching for a victory after going winless last weekend in the University of Connecticut Toyota Classic. The Big Green won its first set of the year in the match but eventually fell to Fairfield, 25-17, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18.
Dartmouth struggled early in the match but showed signs of life in the second set before falling by five points. The Big Green continued its rally in the third set, pulling it out before ultimately falling in the fourth.
"We have been working on getting better before we start playing against the Ivies," co-captain Alissa Santa Maria '13 said. "I think we have come a long way from our first match against UConn."
On Saturday, the Big Green opened against Sacred Heart (2-8), which swept Dartmouth, 25-21, 25-14, 25-19. Dartmouth struggled to maintain the intensity of the first set, when it hung with the Pioneers until a 6-3 Sacred Heart run put the set away. The Big Green sagged in the second set, struggling to a 25-14 defeat. It could not rally in the third set as it had on Friday and fell in straight sets.
"We made unforced errors at crucial times, and we weren't able to string together any runs," Santa Maria said. "[Fairfield and Sacred Heart] played with more consistency than we did and that's how they won."
In the second match of the day, Dartmouth faced a UCF team (3-6) that swept Sacred Heat the day before. The Big Green reversed its fortunes, picking up its first win of the season in a sweep, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24.
"I think our quality of play and communication on the court both improved and that's how we were able to beat Central Florida in three," Elisa Scudder '14 said.
Dartmouth fought to pull away to 12-7 leads in both the first and second sets and maintained the momentum both times. The Knights fought back hard in the third set, earning multiple set points at 24-18 before Dartmouth tallied eight consecutive points to take the set and the match.
"It was really a team effort," Scudder said. "We had a lot of different girls come in and out and play at a lot of different positions."
Paige Caridi '16 led the Big Green with 13 kills in the win while Scudder finished second on the team with nine kills.
"We are a really young team playing against strong competition," Scudder said. "It was great to get a win against UCF at the end."
Dartmouth will look to follow up on its first victory of the season when the team travels to Buffalo, N.Y., for the Buffalo Tournament next weekend. The Big Green will compete against the State University of New York, Buffalo on Friday night before taking on both Syracuse University and Hartford University on Saturday.
