The women’s volleyball team took to their home court at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Wednesday, Sept. 26, hosting SUNY Geneseo in their 2018 season home opener. Last year, the Continentals defended their home court successfully, going 6–2 in matches on the Hill and 14–9 overall. 2018 is a new season, however, and the team hopes to build on last year’s campaign, especially at home. If the home opener was any indication, they are headed in the right direction.
After beginning the season with seven straight road games, the team’s excitement to finally be at home was apparent from the outset. In the relatively short match, the Continentals swept SUNY Geneseo 3–0, which gave them confidence heading into their series of conference home games over the weekend. By the end of the weekend, the Continentals had beaten both non-conference competitors, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Polytechnic, while dropping competitive matches against a deep Tufts University team and the top-ranked NESCAC team from Bowdoin College.
In their three-set sweep against SUNY Geneseo, the Continentals’ middle blocker, Dorothy Poucher ’21, led her team with a season-high 11 kills. Poucher helped the team achieve consecutive set victories of 25–16, 25–16, and 25–18, which provided them with some momentum heading into the upcoming matches to close out a busy September. Other noteworthy performers in the SUNY Geneseo matchup were Giuliana Rankin ’20 (9 kills), Emma Parkhurst ’21 (16 assists, 9 kills, 3 digs, and 3 aces), and Nikki Matsuoka ’21 (15 digs). The team’s consistent execution throughout the game allowed them to pull away from the Knights and get their first win at home.
The Continentals ended the week with three more competitive home matches. Despite putting up a strong fight in their first conference home game of the season on Friday, Sept. 28, the Continentals lost 3–1 in a four-set match against the Tufts Jumbos (10–6). While the Continentals lost the first two sets, they came back to win the third set 25–21. Notably, Parkhurst posted her fifth consecutive double-double by recording 21 assists and 12 digs during the match. Other members of the team who also stepped up were Poucher (10 kills), Rankin (8 kills), Matsuoka (25 digs), Claire Kitz ’19 (8 kills), and Meghan Wilkinson ’19 (11 assists, 11 digs).
On Saturday, Sept. 29, the Continentals hosted a tri-match with Bowdoin College (14–1) and SUNY Poly (6–14). In their first match of the day, the squad faced off against NESCAC foe Bowdoin. The Polar Bears were able to hold off the Continentals and recorded a 3–1 victory in what turned out to be another tough, four-set match. After losing the first set 25–16, the Continentals gave Bowdoin a run for their money in an exciting second set as they won 25–23 to tie the match. Though they lost the following two sets, they were determined to not let the results from earlier in the day affect their play in their second game. As they returned to the court later that afternoon to face the SUNY Polytechnic Wildcats, the Hamilton teammates were focused on one thing: a win. The Continentals came out fast and never let up during the match as they swept SUNY Poly 3–0. With the victory (that featured set scores of 25–19, 27–25 and 25–20), the team closed their series of four September home games right back where they had started on Wednesday — with a win and momentum heading into their next game. With one month down and one more to go in their 2018 season, the team ended September with a record of 4–7 overall and a 2–2 record at home. They hope that the momentum from the victories over both SUNY schools carry over into the upcoming week against two conference opponents. The next game will take place on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 PM in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House against the Bobcats from Bates College (5–4). The following day, Saturday, Oct. 6, the Continentals will celebrate Senior Day as they face off against the Colby College Mules (4–8) in another home game at 2:00 PM before they hit the road again.
