As the volleyball team (2–5) took to the court for the first time this season on Friday, Sept. 7 to play in the Hawks Invitational at SUNY New Paltz, the four first-years, Kendall Boxe ’22, Jo Dine ’22, Jane Fanning ’22 and Maddy LaPoint ’22 felt more than prepared to start their careers here at Hamilton. From the instant they set foot on campus, the four have been on the go, adjusting to the dual demands of life as college students and as NCAA Division III athletes. Thanks to the guidance and support from their teammates and coaching staff, the transition to life as a first-year student athlete at Hamilton has been smooth.
The four new arrivals come from all over the East Coast: Boxe is from Leesburg, VA, Dine from New York City, NY, Fanning from Needham, MA, and LaPoint from the nearby Liverpool, NY. Although they all come to campus with different backgrounds, the reason they chose Hamilton is the same: “Hamilton is the perfect combination of the competitive athletics and the rigorous academics,” said LaPoint.
The group has become close despite not knowing one another when they arrived on campus in early August. Boxe, who plays at middle blocker, feels that part of the reason the adjustment has been simple is due, in large part, to all of her teammates, both the upperclassmen and the four from the Class of 2022.
“They’re a really nice group and fun to be around both on and off the court,” Boxe said. “It’s definitely been hard to balance the workload and practice because of the time crunch to get work done as well as getting enough sleep to feel refueled, but the team has been a great support group from the start.” She thinks practices have been strong and is excited to see how that translates into the games down the road.
For Boxe, the glaring differences between college and high school volleyball is the skill level and competitiveness. Dine, who is a setter on the team, agrees and believes it is in part because of how everyone on the team wants to succeed. “I think the main difference has been the mentality of the team in general since everyone feels much more driven to win and be competitive every day in practice,” she said. “It is also more fast-paced than my high school and club teams, which I am still getting used to.” In an academic sense, Dine admits that there are more commitments here than in high school so she has been trying to find ways to be as efficient with work as possible. She has enjoyed her time here on the Hill so far and says, “it has been fun getting to know so many new people both on and off the team.”
Fanning, an outside hitter, has also been making the most of her time in Clinton. “I enjoy being on such a beautiful campus and I think being on a team first semester is great because it’s an immediate group of people you know,” she said. Like Dine, Fanning thinks the pace of the play is the biggest difference from high school. “To me it seems overall a lot faster. The movement on and off the net is quicker than I am used to,” said Fanning. “I also think the volume of work we do in practice is more than I am used to, so I find myself more tired than I used to be after practices for high school or club season, but overall I enjoy them.” Fanning was happy with the start of the season that saw the Continentals go 2–2 over the weekend, including wins against Mount Saint Mary and Alfred. LaPoint, also an outside hitter, was also very excited about the team’s first couple of games. “The first game experience as a team was honestly surreal. The energy that everyone brings to the game is so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Each team member brings something new to the table and watching it all come together was great,” she said. Off the court, LaPoint has found that adjusting to the culture at Hamilton has been easier than expected. “I’m enjoying the caring atmosphere here at Hamilton,” she said. “Everyone seems to smile at you whether you know them or not, which is comforting.”
The four first years seem to be adjusting well to life as first-year student athletes. They “can’t wait” to see how the rest of their first season as Continentals plays out. With their home opener fast approaching on Wednesday, Sept. 26, they will continue to work hard and prepare for what lies ahead. “I think we played really well all together in our first couple games so far, and the best part is we still have a lot of potential to get better as the season goes on, so we are all very excited,” says Dine.
Volleyball’s next home game will be on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House versus SUNY Geneseo (7–5).
