After 15 minutes of drilling their blocking to perfection, the Dartmouth Volleyball team gathered on the Leede Arena sidelines in their end-of-practice routine. Rather than a speech from head coach Kevin Maureen Campbell and the rest of the coaching staff, players were given the chance to reflect on practice themselves. This conversation, a deliberate end to every practice, replaces a typical coach-athlete dynamic with a space where everyone is equal, Campbell said.
“I do this because we’re all partners on this team,” Campbell said. “Yes, I’m the leader and I’m going to direct, but everyone has a voice in our gym. I want them to lift each other up, challenge each other and challenge me as I challenge them.”
The team’s emphasis on accountability has been a focus this season. They began the year with a 0-3 loss to Rutgers University, but bounced back with consecutive 3-1 wins against Long Island University and Sacred Heart University. A key component of this turnaround was the team’s ability to “feed off of each other’s energy” and create long runs, according to outside hitter Ava Roberts ’26. Against Sacred Heart, a 9-0 run in the first set and a 4-0 run in the fourth set sealed the deal.
“Whenever we’re going on a big run or someone’s getting a huge block or an ace, we really come together,” Roberts said. “That’s when the good chemistry we already have really explodes, and it’s the most fun our team has.”
While the group’s reliance on confidence is a strength, it can also be a weakness when they begin to lose momentum. In their loss against Quinnipiac University at the Cherry and White Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa., Dartmouth dropped the first four points in the fourth set and could not mount a comeback, losing the match 3-1.
In the next game of the tournament against Presbyterian College, the Big Green took a 9-3 lead in the fourth set. Once again, a few consecutive points from the Blue Hose shook Dartmouth’s control and Presbyterian took the set 28-26, and the match with it. Addressing these quick changes of momentum is an area that the team is focusing heavily on.
“We’ve been working on getting out of ruts quicker,” right-side hitter Madeline LaFata ’27 said. “We are trying to switch up systematic things faster so we’re not digging deeper holes.”
Campbell echoed these thoughts, adding that consistency is the biggest area of focus for the group.
“We’re trying to come out with a consistent, smart game,” Campbell said. “Can we make good decisions under pressure? Can we be relentless in defense? But we’re getting there — and getting better at it every day.”
Accountability and building on energy are not the only staples of the team culture. Supporting each other off the court is crucial as well, and the team has become a “family” because of it, according to Zori Brown ’29.
As the end-of-practice routine illustrated, leadership comes from all members of this family, whether a rookie or a seasoned veteran.
“It’s not just the upperclassmen — it’s everybody,” setter Sophie Gagnepain ’28 said. “We want every voice heard, everyone to feel comfortable speaking up, and so collective leadership is something we’ve been working on.”
Sophomore setter Gagnepain and other underclassmen have been a highlight of the season so far. Gagnepain has tallied an impressive 175 assists in her first nine games of the season. Meanwhile the freshmen pair of Elle McCreery ’29 and Brown have 54 and 39 points respectively, good for third and fourth on the team.
“The younger players are really stepping up,” Campbell said. They are “playing well ahead of their age or experience, really consistently and with confidence.”
Moving forward, despite a tough stretch of losses in the Cherry and White Invitational and the Boston College Invitational in these last two weekends, the team remains optimistic about their season. Remaining focused on slow, consistent growth is the goal for Campbell and the rest of the staff.
“It’s not sexy, but we want to get one percent better every day,” Campbell said. “What that will produce, hopefully, is winning matches, going to the Ivy League tournament and challenging for the Ivy Championship, but that’s a byproduct of us really pushing each other and growing every day.”
To do so, the Big Green will have to continue to rely on collective leadership and their culture of accountability. They will get a chance to right the ship this Thursday against Bryant University before they host their Ivy League opener against Harvard University next Sunday.
Sid Singh ’27 is a sports editor and reporter. He is from Bethesda, Md. and Singapore and is majoring in Economics and Quantitative Social Science. Sid is also an engagement manager for Consult Your Community and a member of the Raaz dance team.
